Naruto the Black Blade
by Tigee86
Summary: Challenge fic. After stealing and opening the Scroll of Sealing, Naruto finds something more interesting then a clone technique whose details he never bothers to learn. A change he finds leading him down another path. femHaku
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto the Black Blade **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

Behold what we have done…

"Regular Speech"

"YELLING OR SHOUTING"

"Heavily empowered speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gates user"

"_Telepathy/mental speech"_

_

* * *

_

In the dim moonlight that filled the forest on the outskirts of Konoha, a child-sized and shaped figure darted among the bases of the time-scared trees. Despite abundant undergrowth the small figure moved without a sound disturbing its surroundings no more then a faint breeze. For all this incredible skill, the figure was easily spotted given it's choice of eye-searing bright colors for clothes and natural hair and eye pigments. Berating this figure for it's, _His_, fashion taste would have no effect though. He was far too concerned with garnering attention then ruination of his stealth.

This male figure, a young boy, was named Naruto Uzumaki.

He was known by many other names though, precious few of them positive. He heard the muttered insults of 'Demon child', 'Fox beast', and 'Monster brat' far more then the kindly stated 'favorite customer' and 'friend'. A lifetime of loneliness, a decade of hateful looks, and endless curses had left their mark on this child's mind, far too many emotional scars to be healthy for any person.

It was these scars that lead to an early choice of a dark career and a bright dream.

It was these scars that lead a young man to sabotage his own hopes in favor of fleeting recognition.

And it was those same scars that would forever drastically change his life for good or ill.

As the flaxen-haired youth settled into the small clearing where he'd been instructed to study Lady Luck rolled her fickle dice. Studying the result, the Lady smiled…and blessed her favorite son once more.

* * *

Twitching nervously, an excited Naruto Uzumaki reached for the ties holding the infamous Sacred Scroll of Sealing shut. When the ninja-in-training had heard that all he'd have to do to finally graduate from the Academy, it'd taken all his limited self-control not to laugh out loud. The blond had been in and out of the Hokage's tower since he'd been just a toddler. The contents and ways of the supposedly secure tower had _long_ since ceased to be a secret to him. The most difficult part of the entire 'graduation mission' had been finding the right scroll in the cluttered mess that constituted the Hokage's personal library! Laughing loudly at the memory of dodging ANBU and making the legendary God of Shinobi faint with a nosebleed, Naruto grabbed the ties to the Scroll and whipped them off with a flourish. Suddenly equal parts calm and super excited, Naruto looked down to peruse just what super cool technique he would learn to finally become a ninja of the Leaf.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu

Naruto twitched, seeing that the first technique was a clone variation. There just HAD to be something better then that.

Bunshin Bakuha no Jutsu

Naruto twitched again. While the idea of _exploding_ doppelgangers sounded awesome, he still couldn't do clones for some reason. Pass.

Kage Shuriken Bunshin no Jutsu

_Twitch, twitch_. Again, awesome sounding, but requiring that damnable clone technique! Growling in frustration now, Naruto decided going one by one was taking too long and with a snap of his arms, unrolled the whole scroll. Standing up, he walked the length of the Sacred Scroll. To his growing horror however, not a single additional technique could be read. Each and everyone of them was blurry and indistinct, the instructions surrounded by odd kanji and ink patterns that screamed just one thing at his sharp, if sporadic survival instincts.

_Back the fuck off!_

Groaning childishly, the ninja-trainee listlessly continued to the end of the scroll in sheer pig-headed stubbornness, hoping to find just one more technique that wasn't impossible to read. Then, finally, just as he was about to give up and try his hand at that _stupid_ Shadow clone thing, he caught just the barest hint of color where the scroll was supposed to attached to a central wooden rod for support and ease of carrying. Seating himself at the end of the scroll, Naruto grasped the end the scroll paper and the exposed part of the rod before giving it a tug. When it didn't come loose, he gave it a harder tug. When _that_ didn't work, he scowled and just gave the damn thing a great big heave. Hell, they could always just glue the thing back together right?

_Rrriiiipp!_

Naruto was distracted from sudden thoughts of just how much trouble even he'd be in for damaging the Sacred Scroll by a sudden flood of color from what appeared to be the single most complex piece of artwork the young boy had ever seen. Having never been the artsy type, he had no clever words to describe the image in front of him and even the notoriously dense young ninja-trainee knew that just saying 'awesome' and 'super-cool' was just not going to cut it here.

The basic pattern reminded him of a spider web, if an unusually complex one. It was, spread out, covering almost the entirety of a 3' by 2' area. Pearlescent lines of the 'web' were overlaid but not concealed by an assortment of something that looked awfully similar to the kanji he was familiar with. Whatever this writing was though, it was far less graceful then the Elemental Nation's written language, possessing a more angular set and some unnamable quality that brought to mind ancient times. The frame of the web was strange, a jagged oval pattern the almost looked to be as blurry as the hidden instructions on the Scroll of Sealing. The whole of the pattern might have been enough to hold his flighty attention by itself, however, the entire thing was _drawn in precious stones!_

From the simplest of black lines to most intricate of pearly whorls everything was drawn in clinging powered gems. Naruto didn't really know anything about geology but he was pretty sure there were diamonds, rubies, and a bunch of other really expensive rocks apparently glued to the paper. Scratching his head, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why someone would spend so much money on a pretty but seemingly useless piece of art and then hide it in the least seen and most heavily guarded Scroll in the village. Shrugging away the weirdness of it, Naruto reached out and brushed his hand over the gemstone pattern, curious about what it would feel like.

"I bet I could get the Old Man to let me keep this. It's not like it's dangerous, and if anybody owned this there's no way they'd just leave it here." Even as the boy's words left his lips his finger caught on a shard of gemstone that jutted invisibly out from the pattern. There was a brief pinching sensation followed by a couple drops of blood smearing on one of the odd kanji. The academy student swore out loud, annoyed at himself for already managing to dirty the art work that he'd planned on talking the Old Man out of. Any further action was stalled when the pattern glowed. Gaping, the blond watched shocked as the glow increased to a brilliant shine, spiking up to blinding briefly before fading away. Dropping the pattern and scroll, Naruto frantically rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the sting of losing his night sight. Blinking away the last of the spots in his vision, Naruto looked around for the pattern. He didn't find it though. Instead, where it should have been, was a sword.

It lay flat on the forest floor, at first resembling a thin shadow. Forged heavy and straight, a more weapon savvy individual then Naruto would have recognized it as a western long sword, meant to cut down armored opponents. The blade was a simple, plain affair despite being made in a light-eating shade of black, reflecting not an ounce of illumination. The hilt was far more ornate and colorful. The cross-guard was made of a dull silvery metal, thick and strong enough to catch and stop even a heavy blow. Sweeping up towards the tip of the sword, the sides of the guard were engraved with images of smoke banks and clouds of shadows, all inlaid with grey opal and obsidian. The handle was made of the same metal and wrapped with woven silk the color of dried blood. Even more of the silvery metal made up the pummel, encasing a flawless transparent diamond. Compared to the rest of the sword, the polished stone positively _gleamed_, drawing Naruto's fascinated attention. Entranced, the young blond slowly reached out and laid a single finger on the gem, not quite sure why he wanted to.

"_Because…I wanted to see what sort of person had released me from my imprisonment._"

Naruto froze. "Released…from prison? Um, what were you doing in prison?" He asked nervously, his mind struggling to wrap itself around what was happening. It was not a speedy process.

"_The same reason that anyone else would be in jail, really._" The sword chuckled, a somewhat rough sound that made Naruto think of the Old Man's time and smoke scored voice. "_I misbehaved and society slapped me on the hand, saying 'don't do that'. To be more accurate, my previous wielder got a little…rowdy._"

"Rowdy?"

"_You're a little too young to hear just what he was up to, though if I understand what a 'ninja' is, you will be worldly enough to hear about his activities soon._" Naruto frowned. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he'd learned to sense mood shifts in people through exposure to grumbling crowds.

"You sound like you don't know what a ninja is, sword."

"_You ninja weren't around the last time I was free, boy. Forgive me if I am a little behind on modern knowledge. Perhaps you care to tell me about it in detail? I can only see so much in a person's mind at a time._"

"I can't. I've got to learn one of these techniques off the scroll or I'll-wait, see into my mind? Are, are you reading my mind!" Naruto blurted out, jabbing a finger at the sword. "Get out of my head you stupid hunk of metal!" The sword's voice snarled in Naruto's head.

"_You should have let go of me before spitting that insult, boy! You will regret insulting the Black Mirage Blade!_" With that, Naruto felt a horrendous stabbing pain covering all parts of his brain right before passing out. Face down and fully clothed, there was no way for anyone without a Byakugan to see an entirely colorless copy of the pattern Naruto had admired earlier appear on his chest.

* * *

_Drip…_

"Uhhh…"

_Drip…_

"Whaa?"

_Drip…splash!_

Eyes snapping open, Naruto sat up, hearing the echo of a footstep over the splashing sound. Looking around, wondering how long he'd been out for water to have gathered, the blond was stunned by his surroundings. Instead of the quiet forest clearing, he was now in a dreary underground passageway. Dim, unevenly spaced lights provided more gloom then they dispelled, leaving most of the passage shadowed. Still, Naruto could see the worn bricks that made up the surfaces of the area, as well as the dank-looking pipes that clung to the edges of the ceiling. Shaking his head in amazement at the sheer dismalness the tunnel seemed to exude, Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. Deciding to follow to splash in hopes of finding someone capable of leading him out here, Naruto took a steady ground-eating stride. As minutes passed, it was only tiny changes in the colors of the bricks and pipes that assured the now worried ninja-trainee that he was actually going somewhere. Finally, though, Naruto could see the light increasing ahead. Moving faster, Naruto headed straight for the light. Seeing a corner coming up, Naruto quickly turned around it expecting to see the person he heard earlier or maybe a door out of the tunnel.

He sure as hell wasn't expecting an enormous bronze gate with a strip of paper instead of a padlock.

"What the Hell! Why the Hell is there a big-ass gate in the middle of a tunnel, sewer, whatever this is!"

"**Here already, human? You must have a devil's luck to have gotten here before that weapon spirit did**."

Naruto stared, dumbfounded, at the sight of a gigantic set of predator-sharp teeth and cat-slit blood-red eyes hovering well over a hundred feet in the air behind the gate doors. "Eyes…teeth…what…what's going on?"

"**How am I to know human. I do not pay attention to what you humans do. Something as insignificant as a little human sword would not have caught my interest**."

"Oh." Naruto managed, still not sure what was going on.

"**Still, given the circumstances, I cannot help but be intrigued. Who knew there existed in this world a blade with such tricks? This Black Mirage Blade though, it seems to have a mind of it's own, a true sentience. That, I have never heard of nor seen in all my long years.**" The eyes and teeth lowered much closer to the ground, barely hovering above it now. "**That fact, boy, is why I have decided to take an interest in you. Be grateful human, it has been a very long time since I have offered assistance to any of your species**." An deep unsettling feeling finally pushed its way past his stunned numbness and kicked his mind into gear.

"Help me? What are you supposed to be helping me with.?" The eyes behind the gates didn't answer, instead the grin widened and a wave of red energy pushed out past the gates and picked up Naruto, carrying him like a rushing tide. Bricks and pipes raced past him blindingly fast, turning into it all into a blur. Luckily for Naruto's stomach, it didn't take long for the wave to slow and then stop, depositing him on the floor as the red energy faded away. "Stupid thing, just because it's bigger then me doesn't mean it can just pick me up and throw me around like a toy. You can't do that to a future Hokage!" Shouting back down the tunnel, Naruto waved his fist for emphasis.

"Considering that I find you yelling at a Demon Lord, being called a hunk of metal seems so much less important." Naruto whirled, recognizing the abuse-roughened voice.

"You!" Naruto shouted, pointing. "I thought I told you get out of my head, sword!" The avatar of the sword smirked, stepping into the low light offered in the tunnel. Standing 5' 7", the avatar was on the low side of average height for the westerner he appeared as. He was very fit though, athletic rather then bulky. A full head of short black hair and deep brown eyes blended well with his dark tan. The plain and functional clothes added to the overall appearance, giving the smirking figure a very militaristic air. Crossing his arms and leaning against the wall behind him, Black Mirage chuckled.

"I honestly can't tell boy, whether you are utterly fearless or too stupid and ignorant to know you should be terrified. You yell at a Demon lord. You insult and harangue me, even though I could have crushed your mind like an egg had it not been for the Hell Lord you were just screaming at. Tell me, Naruto Uzumaki, if I were to just break you, would your resident defend you?" Naruto straightened, gaining focus as stepped into a familiar situation; the mockery and scorn of others.

"It doesn't matter." The boy started quietly, his voice steadily rising in volume and passion. "It doesn't matter what you do or say. It doesn't matter what tricks you try! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha! I gave my word that I'd be the respected and honored leader of this village one day, and I will never give, never die until I've completed my promise! Bring on your worst scrap metal, I'm not afraid of you!" Naruto crossed his arms and glared right back at Black Mirage. He might not fully have understood what was going on here, and he had some serious questions for the Old Man but Naruto Uzumaki never backed down!

"Heh. Hehe. Bwa-hahahahah! A promise? You risk life, limb, mind and soul because of a promise? I suppose that settles my question boy; you're a bigger fool then any of my previous wielders ever were!" Laughing hard, Black Mirage didn't see Naruto's eyes light with an inner fire as it seemed there was yet another person laughing at his precious dream. He did however hear the boy steps as he charged and looked up in time to be slugged in the jaws with all of the ninja-trainee's strength. With a meaty _thwack_ the blade's avatar flew down the tunnel and tumbled to a painful stop. Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet, ready to fight, hands up and loose. The avatar moved slowly, raising to his feet without a word. Still not speaking he wiped his mouth with one hands, raising it to look at the thin crimson smear on his palm. Naruto jerked his head when the avatar finally looked up and stared him in the eyes.

"Whenever you're ready, scrap metal!" Naruto taunted. "I'm ready to kick your ass!" It started small, a little twitch of the lips, but the 'man' began to smile and finally, grin manically, showing all his teeth.

"You really are a little fool. But, from now on, you're MY fool, boy. I, the Black Mirage, the shifting sword of Illusions and Trickery, accept you as my wielder. Till the end of your days, Naruto Uzumaki, you shall bathe me in the blood of your enemies and together we shall be legends!" The avatar of the sword faded in to smoke, carrying the scent of sage and other unidentifiable herbs. "Our partnership starts now boy. I look forward to fulfilling my purpose once again."

Naruto looked puzzled, as the walls of tunnels around him darken and began to fade. "You have a purpose? What kind of purpose?"

"_You'll find out soon enough. Now, get up._"

* * *

"_Get up._"

"NARUTO, WAKE UP DAMN IT!"

"GAH! What the Hell, who's yelling!"

"I AM DUMBASS!" Naruto swiveled, spotting the source of the voice.

"Iruka-sensei, what are doing here? How'd you even find me! How do you always manage to find me!" Already worked up, Naruto ranted about the unfairness of always being caught by one's teacher no matter whether or not a prank was involved. Patiently waiting for his most troublesome student to wind down, Iruka allowed himself a smile. Naruto seemed to be his normal self, and he didn't seem to be worried about the scroll, so the Academy teacher concluded that the blond prankster hadn't done this maliciously. But that left the question of _why_ he'd done it.

"Naruto, I have a minor chakra sensor talent."

"Huh?"

Iruka chuckled. "You wanted to know how I've always found you. I have a very small gift for chakra sensing. It takes me a few weeks to tag someone's chakra, but once I do, I can find them from over a mile away. It's a very useful skill to have on rescue missions. Now that I've answered your question Naruto, perhaps you'd care to tell me just why you felt it was okay to steal our village's most important jutsu collection." The tone was calm enough, but the look in the older man's eyes was enough to make Naruto spill his guts quickly.

"Mizuki-sensei told me that if I stole the scroll and learn a technique from I'd graduate!" Horror began to filter over Naruto's face. "But…I forgot to learn a technique! I-I got distracted by the sword!"

"Naruto!" The teacher shouted, grabbing his student's shoulders. "Calm down! What was that you said about Mizuki?" Iruka never heard the boy's answer as he felt a familiar chakra nearby. Killing intent spiked from it followed by the whistling of thrown weapons. Pushing Naruto away, Iruka tried to get clear himself but he wasn't fast enough and several kunai punctured his body. "Mizuki! What do you think you're doing?"

Grinning evilly, the silver-haired chuunin landed on the branch of a nearby tree, an over-sized shuriken spinning on one hand. "When I saw you find that brat, I thought I'd have to come up with a convincing lie, but seeing you treat him like he was a friend even after he stole the Scroll…well, that changes things. This whole thing was my idea, Iruka! I knew the demon would fail again, like he always does. But this year, I decided to take advantage of it. Thanks to the Fox, I have the scroll, and all the power the comes from it!"

"What kind of moron are you!" Naruto shouted, moving next to Iruka. "Most of that scroll can't even be read, and there isn't even a Fox here!" Mizuki's grin widened and Iruka felt a chill go down his spine. He wouldn't! He couldn't! But Mizuki was already betraying the village, he obviously felt no qualms in revealing an S-class secret, especially not if he could hurt the Demon Child while doing it.

"Tell me Naruto, have you ever wondered why everyone hates you? Why no one in this village cares for you at all?"

"Don't do it Mizuki, you'll make your sentence worse!" Mizuki ignored the other man.

"The truth is Naruto, that you are the greatest disaster this village has ever seen! You are the Kyuubi no Youko!"

"Damn you Mizuki!"

As the two men started screaming at each other, hurling threats and accusations, Naruto fell into a stunned silence, not hearing a word of the men's exchange. The young blond couldn't believe it. He was the Kyuubi? The 9-tailed living natural disaster who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of laying waste to everything. If he was the demon, though, it explained so much. Why the villagers hated him. Why he was always so alone. Why-

"_Please. If you are the Kyuubi, then I'm a teapot. This DOES tell me which Demon Lord is trapped inside you though. I would suggest being careful if you plan to approach him in the future. No demon becomes a Lord without a great deal of power and cunning, and I would not be pleased to see my first wielder in centuries die because he didn't say the right thing._"

"Black Mirage?" The whispered words didn't register with Iruka and Mizuki who were now fighting viciously across the clearing.

"_Yes. It doesn't seem that the Kyuubi has the ability to speak with you as I do. I wouldn't expect him in the near future. So, boy, what are you planning to do about this? It seems that the one who hates you is winning._" Blinking, Naruto drug himself out of himself of his stupor to see Iruka-sensei get knocked into the base of a tree with a grunt of pain.

"Iruka-sensei! Get away from Iruka-sensei you bastard!" Mizuki paused in his next strike, shuriken still spinning.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it Fox?" Naruto shook furiously, fists clenched, ready to go over there and just pummel the traitorous bastard into the ground.

"_HEY! You seem to be forgetting something?_" Naruto blinked, wondering how the sword was speaking to him, even though he wasn't holding the blade right then.

"_Fight first, explanations later._" Feeling sheepish, Naruto turned and marched to blade laying on the ground. Both chuunin stared curiously as he walked to something, bending over to pick it up.

"N-Naruto, where did you get that sword?" Naruto smiled weakly.

"I'll explain later Iruka-sensei. First I gotta deal with Mizuki." Using both hands, Naruto lifted Black Mirage, noting that it was still pretty heavy. "Alright jerk, you're going down!" Mizuki snorted.

"We'll see about that Demon Brat. Die!" With that, Mizuki hauled back to throw.

"Run Naruto! Grab what you can of the scroll and run!"

"_Time to have fun! Lets see him find you in a Mirror Image!_"

Milliseconds before the throw, the air around Naruto shimmered and 9 flawless copies of Naruto appeared, each quickly jumping apart from each other including the original, acting on a strongly worded suggestion from Black Mirage. The chuunins gaped. No only was Naruto not supposed to be able to perform the Bunshin technique, the images were too far apart for the technique. They should have faded! Growing angry, Mizuki threw the shuriken anyways, aiming for the Naruto he thought was the real one. Buzzing, the weapon flew straight and true through the Naruto, who promptly disappeared into short lived motes of light.

"Damn you Demon! I'll find you sooner or later, and you'll die all the same!"

"I don't think so, Mizuki." The stroke was clumsy and poorly aimed, but the Black Mirage was a _very_ sharp sword and Naruto was strong for a 13 year-old. With a scream of pain, Mizuki went down in a spray of blood. Trying to not to stare too hard, Iruka hobbled over to his student, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You stopped a traitor from stealing the Scroll of Sealing and captured him in the process." A sly smile snaked across Iruka's face. "Was that a Bunshin technique I saw?" Naruto flushed in embarrassment, one hand scratching behind his head, the other leaning Black Mirage against his shoulder.

"Um, no, not really. It's called Mirror Image. It works a lot like Bunshin I think, but it's not the same thing." Naruto sighed sadly. "I guess this means another year at the Academy. At least you'll have time to time to teach me how to use Black Mirage, right sensei?" Iruka's smile turned mysterious.

"Not quite, Naruto." Moving quickly before the comment sank in too deep, Iruka removed his own headband and tied it around Naruto's head, putting the removed goggles into one of Naruto's pockets. "Congratulations on graduating, Naruto. I know you'll make me proud."

It might have been a bit girly for a newly minted genin, but Naruto had always been one to buck tradition. Crying in relief and joy, Naruto hugged his now former teacher until the man complained that he couldn't feel his legs anymore.

* * *

Being ushered into the Hokage's office not a half an hour later, Naruto wondered how the Old Man always seemed to know where to send his ANBU whenever the blond got into trouble. As the door opened, Naruto decided that this mess rated him using a trick that he'd overheard Ino tell Sakura about once. Stepping past the ANBU guards, Naruto flashed his brightest smile and opened his eyes to their widest.

"Hi Old Man!"

Sarutobi frowned ever-so-slightly. "I had a daughter of my own once Naruto; nice try." Gesturing to a chair set in front of his desk Sarutobi said. "Sit down Naruto, we need to talk. And for future reference, looking adorable to get out of trouble only works for young ladies." Grumbling, Naruto did as he was bid, leaning an unusual sword against himself. The Third Hokage eyed it curiously, having never seen anything quite like it in his lifetime. Despite it's decorations, it was a very functional weapon and the ANBU would have normally confiscated it had not the Hokage already told them to let it pass. His curiosity and faith in Naruto's loyalty easily silencing his paranoia. Slowly, the aged 'Professor' packed himself a pipe.

"Tell me Naruto, do you know why you are here?" Naruto flinched.

"I stole the Sacred Scroll of Sealing."

Sarutobi nodded. "Rather adroitly my boy. Had this been a sanctioned exercise, you would have scored very well." Seeing the boy start to smile, the Hokage cleared his throat, catching his attention. "_However_, this was not an exercise, but a very real crime. Luckily, Mizuki was rather lacking in self-control when he was detained and admitted to far more then he should have. It's clear to me that you were deceived by a very conniving traitor who had fooled ninja far more experienced then yourself. Therefore, you are clear of any charges. In addition, Iruka has informed me that you finally managed to perform the Bushin technique. In light of this, I'm allowing your battle-field promotion to stand." Seeing the boy cheer and dance in his seat, Sarutobi smiled happily. The Hokage knew Naruto's dreams well, and had been saddened each time he failed to graduate. Still, perhaps those failures were blessings in disguise, allowing the socially-starved boy to be grouped with his age-peers. Letting Naruto vent his euphoria, the Third waved for the boy to be still. "Now that you are a ninja, Naruto, why don't we have your first debriefing and you can tell me what happened out there."

Listening patiently, holding his questions, Sarutobi took Naruto's rather well told story with gentle draws on his now lit pipe. Wincing as he heard about the damage to the Scroll and again at the meeting of the three minds, Sarutobi's thoughts whirled, wondering what sort of questions Naruto would have for him. He was not long in waiting.

"Old Man, they were telling the truth right? That I'm not the Kyuubi?" Sarutobi nodded.

"They weren't lying Naruto. You are not, and never will be the Kyuubi. You are the warden of his prison, and I have complete faith that you will always be able to keep him contained." Plowing on as Naruto smiled again, the Hokage waved. "Any other questions?"

"Just one Old Man; do you know anyone who can teach me to use a sword?" Sarutobi nodded, gesturing with his pipe.

"There are quite a few ninja in Konoha who could tutor you in kenjutsu. Tell me Naruto, you said that the sword came out of something that looked like a seal, that it could talk to you?" Naruto nodded quickly.

"Yeah! I haven't seen him do much, but with a name like his, I bet it has awesome powers!" Sarutobi eyed the blade.

"Naruto…do you think I could speak with him?" The blond blinked.

"Um, I could ask." Twisting in his chair, Naruto grabbed the sword's handle. His expression growing dim, Naruto was perfectly still and silent for a couple of minutes before his face brightened back up. "He says no, that he only talks to his wielder. He wouldn't say why, something about Standards and Practices." The Third's eyebrows hiked up, but he continued on.

"That's alright then. Naruto, do you think your sword…"

"The Black Mirage Blade." Naruto supplied helpfully.

"…Black Mirage Blade could explain his abilities? I will need a personal record so that I can properly gauge what missions you will be able to undertake." Naruto fell quiet again, the silence lasting longer this time. When he finally started talking, it was a little slow, obviously thinking about it.

"I don't understand a lot of what was talking about 'cause he's using all these weird terms, he said something about being a focusing device. That he makes it super easy for his wielder to create illusions, so easy you can keep swinging him AND create 'illusionary constructs' at the same time. He did say that he worked best in lower light conditions because its harder to pick apart flaws in the construct." Naruto's head tilted for a moment. "Ooh! He also said that I can channel chakra through him. That's good right?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "That's actually a _very_ impressive set of abilities Naruto. There are a great many ninja in this world who'd pay an arm and a leg for a weapon half so powerful." Sarutobi actually thought that most ninja would actually pay with someone else's arm and leg, but the elderly leader didn't want to say it quite like that to a boy he thought of as his grandson. A thought occurred to him. "Naruto…the Black Mirage Blade wouldn't happen to posses some sort of self-defense technique, would it?"

"Let me ask Old Man." This time, after he was finished speaking with sword, Naruto grew paler. "Yeah, Old Man." Even with his well-trained ears, Sarutobi could barely hear the boy's horrified whispers. "Everyone he's ever considered 'unworthy' of wielding him has died screaming in agony, begging for mercy. He also said that I should be very proud; I'm one of less then 10 people who has ever picked him up and lived." The Hokage flinched noticeably. Being told something like that could have only been terrifying, and the wily ninja doubted he could say or do anything to discourage the sword from saying things like that in the future.

"Yes, well, you should be proud. I know that I'm proud of you. Why don't you head home, Naruto? You've had a rather long day, and tomorrow is team assignments. You want to be well rested for the start of your career don't you?" Getting a shaky nod from the boy, the Third gestured subtly for one of the ANBU to escort Naruto home. Another gesture assured his privacy. Sighing, the world-weary leader packed himself another pipe. He had a great deal to think about tonight, about Naruto's new gift and how to impress on various interested parties that the sword would be staying with Naruto until proven dangerous. He could think of no one better suited to keeping an eye on the potentially dangerous sentient sword then an ex-captain of the ANBU.

* * *

Barely noticing his escort parting at the door to his apartment, Naruto marched inside, preparing for bed on auto-pilot. Eventually, dressed in full pajamas and his much loved sleeping cap, Naruto staggered to his bed, drained from the stress and shock of the day. Black Mirage remained silent, not bothering to protest being left in the living and so far from hand. In the future the intelligent weapon planned to speak up about being left behind, but his newest wielder _was_ a child, and allowances had to be made. Probably, anyways. Black Mirage had never really dealt with children outside some very dark circumstances and was left to deal with the situation as it unfolded. That was fine, the blade thought to itself, before activating one of several powers it had yet to reveal to it's newest wielder. Transforming into a prismatic colored mote of light, Black Mirage drifted into the bedroom and promptly sank into Naruto's chest, causing the colorless pattern embedded on the boy's chest to regain all the shades of brilliance it had had before being moved from the scroll to its new residence.

"_Dream, wielder, and show me what you really desire. Reveal your true nature to me…_"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello. Thank you dear reader for sampling what I hope to be a scintillating work of fan fiction literature. As you've certainly noticed, this a challenge based fic, as proposed by MrWriterWriter. If you don't know the rules of this particular challenge, he posts here on FFN. I saw the challenge on his bio after reading his Naruto/Incredible Hulk cross-over and decided to take a 'stab' at it. Ok, so I'd best explain who/what the Black Mirage Blade is. The Black Mirage Blade was originally created for a very high level RPG campaign.

The Black Mirage Blade, commonly known as the Black Mirage, is an artifact-level, sentient weapon. A +6 Longsword of Epic Spell Storing and an enchantment, called metaline as riftdragon sent in, that lets said enchanted weapon overcome nearly every form of damage reduction. It doesn't add any additional damage, but you can basically hurt anything. It's mental abilities are highly developed, and it has numerous illusion-based powers that it or it's wielder can use. I'll be tweaking some of it abilities, and removing others to make it compatible with the Naruto universe(I'm not going to go through the trouble of explaining it's passage to the Naruto universe). As for the Black Mirage's disappearing act, it's an adaptation of it's original storage/concealment method.

For all you fans of Ranma Saotome Doesn't Miyah, don't cry, I'm still going to be working on it!

See ya all later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterwriter for the purpose of this challenge.

"I swear guys, I'm not doing anything! It's the sword, it's doing this on its own!" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of the Black Mirage.

"Regular Speech"

"YELLING OR SHOUTING"

"Heavily empowered speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gates user"

"_Telepathy/mental speech"_

_

* * *

_

Like a great many people in the world, Naruto had an awareness of his surroundings on par with a zombie when he first woke up. He shuffled through his morning routine from here to there, getting it all done without really thinking about anything at all. It wasn't till the blond started to get dressed that his brain kicked into gear, courtesy of an annoyed sentient blade.

"_What do you think you are doing?_" Naruto froze, his sleepy mind not recognizing the voice or the fact it was coming from inside his head.

"…getting dressed."

"_Must you wear such a color? Did you know that brighter shades of orange cause heightened aggression in humans who view it? Wear black or grey instead; they're more intimidating and because they absorb light it's easier for them to alter perceptions._" Naruto twitched, finally recognizing Black Mirage's mental voice.

"I like orange! You're just trying to getting me to stop wearing such a cool color like everyone else by making up that stuff about it pissing people off!" The sword scoffed.

"_I'm a very old sword who has power over light. Color as humans perceive it is viewed through the reflection of light. I've been experimenting with and using my powers longer then the recorded history taught at your Academy; did you really think I wouldn't know everything I could about my domain?_" Naruto didn't like the sword's smug tone at the end of his comment and decided poke holes in the story.

"Oh yeah, how would you know what's taught at the Academy? You've been sealed up!"

The sword sighed. "_I told you I could read your mind yesterday, boy. When a person dreams their mind is relaxed and far more open to outside influences. I watched your entire lifespan last night as you slept. Quite frankly, I'm both amazed and incredibly disappointed with you, wielder. It seems that you cannot see the trees in the forest most of the time unless those trees happen to be on fire._"

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "I can see just find!"

"_You see but do not perceive, wielder. You must learn to see everything and understand even more if you are ever to use my powers to their fullest extent._" Naruto felt of a flicker of emotion from the blade, but he was way too new at this sort of thing to understand what it was. "_What kind of Hokage will you be if you always require your underlings to explain everything to you?_"

Naruto's mouth opened and closed as the age old weapon managed to get his point to the blond without beating him over the head with it first; a startling first. The freshly graduate genin stood in front of his closet silently, turning over what the sword had said in his thoughts. Black Mirage waited patiently, having decided to speak with his currently wielder as he had his very first; small words, patiently leading sentences, and 'jabbing' him every now and then to make sure he hadn't drifted off.

"_So, are you going to take my suggestions? If you must wear bright colors, at least use white. It reflects_ every _color and gives me a broad palette to work with._" Naruto shook his head, putting aside the sword's wisdom for later thought.

"Does orange really make people mad at me?"

"_Not necessarily you, but they are meaner as a whole, why?_"

Naruto eyed his favorite set of clothes sadly. "Maybe I should wear something else. I mean, if I'm going to be Hokage people are going to have to trust me. I can't be trusted if they're always pissed off when they see me or are afraid of me, so no black either!" Naruto shuddered slightly. "Sasuke always wears black and blue, and I don't want to be like him!"

"_Fair enough. No wielder of mine should ever be confused with some one else unless we're attempting to do just that. You like bright colors right?_" Naruto nodded.

"I hate being ignored, and no one ignores someone who's dressed up bright!" The sword hummed in thought.

"_Nigel was like that. He did everything with flair. Despite his addiction to dreamweed he was surprisingly good at distracting people and stabbing them when they were too confused to understand what was going on. Anyways, empty out your closets and drawers, I have an idea._" Doing as he was told and listening to Black Mirage describe what he had in mind, Naruto grinned.

It seemed like he'd still be pulling pranks despite being busy as a ninja.

* * *

The face of the camera guy for his ninja ID when Naruto walked in for his picture appointment was priceless. The heavy-set older man had been so stunned that he didn't even protest the strange pose. Walking away from the administrative building laughing was doing Naruto wonders. After putting together his new ensemble this morning he'd almost made it out the door before realizing that he had no clue where his new sword was! Black Mirage had had a good long laugh at his expense before taking pity on the frazzled blond and explaining the storage rune that now adorned the genin's chest. Now a lost art, the rune acted a lot like the storage scrolls that ninjas used, but with a different mechanic. Runes could hold more, the sword explained, but the more you put into one, the energy required to store it all would increase exponentially. A rune could hold an entire castle, but doing so would use so much power that not even a god would do so without a VERY good reason. Naruto had been excited about creating more of the runes as a sort of signature but Black Mirage quickly shot that down, explaining that it couldn't teach him how and even back when he'd been first made they were very rare. Still, Naruto thought as he walked into the Hokage's office, it was pretty cool to have a hiding place for his sword that no one else in the world knew how to use.

"Hey Old Man, you wanted to see me?" The Hokage raised his head to greet the boy but couldn't get a word out the moment he saw what the blond was wearing. Struggling to keep a straight face, Naruto sat in his regular chair for visits to the Old Man.

"You look terrible Old Man, something wrong?" Sarutobi snapped out of it.

"Naruto-kun, what are you wearing!"

Naruto's new ninja uniform was bizarre…even for Naruto. The only normal looking parts of the outfit were the dark tan cargo pants reinforced for combat-level wear and tear and the goggles Naruto had been wearing since starting the Academy. The latter had been left to drape around Naruto's neck since his forehead protector and its bandana now covered his forehead and most his hair. It was a smart, if strange move from Naruto who normally left his spiked hair free. The Hokage barely noticed the head covering though, unable to tear his eyes away from the bandages that wrapped around the boy's legs and arms. The bandages themselves were common enough, the tough linen wraps that many ninja used, covering most of each limb though the joints were all bare to avoid pinching and bunching. Woven into the bandages, however, were dozens of strings and ribbons, all in the most random patterns imaginable. As the elderly man's brain started to come back online, he noted that despite all the different kinds of decorations, each and everyone of them was either red, yellow, or blue. Naruto's torso was mostly covered by what looked to be a very old black leather jacket that had been cut into a vest. The time-faded leather was faded into gray at places, though these patchy areas were mostly covered by Leaf Village insignias and the swirl that was Naruto's personal symbol. Sarutobi might have eventually passed all of this off as a prank by Naruto, to try and lift spirits are the stress of last night if not for one thing.

The boy's open leather jacket-turned-vest revealed his chest and stomach, both of which were 'tattooed'.

"Naruto, what is that on your chest? More importantly, why is the Seal visible?" Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know why the Seal is visible, but it's been that way since I woke up this morning. The web-thing on my chest is where Black Mirage hides when I'm not using him." Naruto's head tilted to the side eyes blanking out for a second. "Oh. Black Mirage says that it showed up when he attached himself to my chakra network. It looks awesome though, right!" Sarutobi sighed.

"I'm not sure that advertising the Seal is such a wise idea Naruto." A bit of pain flashed across Naruto's eyes.

"I don't think it matters Old Man. Anyone who could figure out what the seal does already knows about the Fox. Besides, I need to be able reach the rune to summon Black Mirage." Sarutobi blinked.

"Rune?" Naruto brightened back up, nodding.

"Yeah. Black Mirage says it works like a summoning scroll but I don't need blood." The Third nodded. Given the sword's size, simply carrying it wasn't practical. Naruto having a summoning seal embedded in his skin was unusual, but not unheard of. Wait…

"Summoning, Naruto?"

"Yeah, it summons Black Mirage from where ever it is. He says that more then one of his previous wielders escaped prison that way!" Sarutobi smiled at Naruto's excited look and gestured for the blond to continue the story. Listening to the young boy babble on about a daring escape from prison and posse, the village leader decided that he'd leave the Seal's open display alone for now. It wasn't in Naruto's nature to blend in with the crowd. Obviously, the boy felt that he needed to confront the citizens of Konoha about their…issues about the Kyuubi and Naruto himself. Though the Third did wonder about the string…

"This time, I've got you old man!" Both ninja turned to the door at the shout. Charging towards the desk with a training shuriken in hand was a small boy wearing an odd hat and scarf that was too long for him. Letting out a warbling war cry, the boy drew back to throw the shuriken and promptly tripped, landing face down on the floor. Hissing in pain, the boy sat up rubbing his scrapes. Naruto started laughing hysterically, clutching his stomach. Sarutobi hid his chuckles, not wanting to hurt Konohamaru's feelings.

"Was that a trap? Who tripped me!" Seeing the older boy in front of him laughing, the scarf-clad boy jumped to his feet, pointing at the blond. "You! Why'd you trip me?" Naruto stopped laughing instantly. He _hated_ being blamed for things he didn't do. People had blamed him for things when he was younger, occasionally even things he couldn't have done. Getting older, he silenced all this by pranking outrageously until all they talked about were what tricks he'd played. After learning about the Fox last night, he now knew that those people had accused him just so they could have an excuse to yell at him. Nothing had ever come of these accusation-Sarutobi personally looked over all such claims-but people kept making them. Hearing such a thing come from a boy younger then himself was infuriating. Standing, Naruto stomped over to the boy and lifted him up by his shirt.

"You! What are you doing to the Hokage's honorable grandson?" Looking over and up, Naruto spotted a tall and lanky man, wearing a Jounin outfit without the flak jacket and a pair of sunglasses. Raising an eyebrow at the Jounin, Naruto turned to the boy he was still being held up. Konohamaru smirked at the blond, positive that Naruto was like everyone else the boy had ever meet and would now promptly let him go and kiss his ass. "What do you think you are doing, brat, leave the honorable grandson alone!"

"Like I give a damn who he's related to!" Fisting his free hand, Naruto brought it down on the boys head hard enough to leave a small mark. Letting the boy drop to the floor, Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. "We'll talk later Old Man. See ya." Ebisu snorted, turning to his student and closing his eyes in an attempt to look wiser.

"Do not concern yourself with trash like that boy, honorable grandson. Such people only exist to cause trouble and soon destroy themselves. All you can do is to distance yourself from them so you don't get involved when they go." Ebisu nodded to his own wisdom.

"What an _interesting_ way of describing a boy I know and trust very well, Ebisu. However, my grandson is not here." Paling, Ebisu stared in fear at the Hokage, not sure if he should be more afraid of the fact that he lost the man's grandson or that he'd just insulted the Hokage's ward in his presence. "I'd suggest you move quickly Ebisu. My grandson did leave right after Naruto after all."

The Jounin raced out the door, trying to ignore the eyes boring into his back.

* * *

Naruto strode down the street, heading towards the Academy for team assignments. Despite the increased colorfulness of his outfit he was actually getting less ugly looks from the nearby adults. It seemed that losing the orange jump-suit like Black Mirage had suggested was working. He didn't suspect at all that the reason he wasn't getting as many looks was because nobody was recognizing him because of a lack of orange. A few blocks away from the Academy Naruto noticed something suspicious following him. Stepping onto an empty street, Naruto was hoping that he would be able to spot what ever it was that had pinged his 6th(danger) sense. It turned that the 'suspicious object' was the boy from the Old Man's office. Seeing the boy trying hiding as part of the street and forgetting to include his feet, Naruto decided that he just didn't have the time for this and just kept walking. Konohamaru continued to close in on his 'unsuspecting' prey. Dashing the last few meters, Konohamaru readied himself for the-

"What do you want Konohamaru? The boy stood stunned for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it when he realized that Naruto wasn't stopping.

"Wait up Boss! Tell me how you knew it was me!" Naruto chuckled.

"I'm just awesome like that. Why are you calling me Boss anyways?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're the bravest ninja in the village! You're Naruto Uzumaki right? I heard about you from grandpa and my Uncle this morning. I want you to teach me to be like you so I can take the Hokage title from grandpa." Naruto wasn't the sort of person to begrudge others their dreams, but he was curious.

"Why do you want to take his title away?" Konohamaru sighed, falling in step with Naruto as the Academy loomed closer.

"Everyone sees me as the Hokage's grandson, they don't even use my name, just honorable grandson like my teacher, Ebisu. I figure if I can take grandpa's title then everyone will see me, not him." Konohamaru looked up at Naruto, eyes blazing with determination. "That's why I want you to teach me! A guy who can break into grandpa's tower and knock him out with a single technique is sure to make me powerful enough to take on grandpa in no time!" Naruto was thinking about teaching Konohamaru the Oiroke no jutsu for shits and giggles when he heard Black Mirage mutter.

"_If power alone made a leader, then I'd rule this place. Leader's are cunning and wise - or at least possessing enough common sense to fake the latter._" Schooling his expression to something resembling somber, Naruto turned to Konohamaru.

"I can't teach you to take down the Old Man." Konohamaru stumbled in surprise.

"But-but why not? I promise I'll listen to you do and what you say!" Repeating something the Third had once done for him when he was young and painfully lonely, Naruto ruffled what hair stood out of Konohamaru's strange hat.

"To be honest, I only beat the Old Man 'cause I did something so crazy and stupid that he would have never expected it in a million years. The Old Man is the best ninja in the village, and if you want to beat him for _real_, to show everyone that _you_ deserve to be the Hokage, then you are going to have to make a decision."

"What decision?" Konohamaru asked quietly, awed by Naruto's words. Naruto stopped, the two boys just outside the Academy gates.

"What are you willing to give? Being a Hokage is not just about being Bad-ass, even though it helps. A Hokage, a true Hokage, gives everything to their village! Their time, their love…even their lives." Naruto paused, thinking of the friends and family the Fourth had no doubt left behind to seal away the Fox. "Being the Hokage is the greatest of honors, and it requires the greatest of sacrifices." Naruto clutched the Seal on his belly as Black Mirage sent a sensation of reassurance; the best the sword could do. Konohamaru was silent for several minutes, obviously thinking about what the older had said.

"Thank you Boss. A lot of what grandpa says makes more sense now. I think, when I become Hokage, when I'm ready to be just like grandpa, that I'll tell everyone what you told me." Naruto laughed, feeling a great deal of joy knowing that he'd stoked Konohamaru's Will of Fire as the Hokage had always been there to do for him.

"Well then, Konohamaru, I'll be sure to keep the hat warm for you!" Winking, Naruto turned and walked through the gates leaving Konohamaru to sputter and protest loudly that _he'd_ be the Fifth Hokage and not the other way around. A short ways up the street, Ebisu leaned against a store wall, his expression contemplative.

"I suppose, of all the village, it would be the Jinchuuriki who understands what it means to give ones all for the good of others." Ebisu's gaze lifted to take in the Academy. "I'll never like someone like you, brat, but I think that one day I might respect you, just a little." Shoving off the wall, Ebisu went to collect his wayward student for Taijutsu practice.

* * *

Stepping into his Academy classroom for what was probably the last time, a fond smile slipped over Naruto's face. He'd almost miss this place now that he was a ninja.

"_Get a seat in the back. I want to see all your classmates. Studying people through another's memories is too inaccurate._"

"Why do you need to study them anyways?"

"_I wouldn't suggest talking out loud. Humans always seem to try and kill my wielder when they do that._" Naruto rolled his eyes. How else was he supposed to talk to the swrod?

"_Project your thoughts to me, smart ass. There is a bond between us, if an easily broken one._" Naruto frowned, fidgetting in his seat. If he could speak to the sword silently, why hadn't told him so? So far all he'd been able to do is listen as it told him what to say.

"_You've have been, even if you don't realize it. You just don't do it well or often. I would have already taken you through this, but I didn't want to drown you in information._" That, and the sword was pretty sure that the easily distracted blond had already forgotten some of what the sword had told him.

A faint rumbling sound caught everyone's attention and the whole class turned to the door. With a bang, it flew open and Sakura and Ino shoved through the doorway together.

"FIRST!"

As Naruto sighed dreamily and stared at Sakura, Black Mirage began cringing in pain. As a sword empowered towards the visual realms, he didn't much like loud noises. Naruto, he put up with because the kid had some serious potential and a real drive to harness it, but the these two shrieking girls and the equally offensive kunoichi that were joining them were all straining his tolerance. As the sound built and built to the point were Iruka's entrance was completely missed and even Naruto was covering his ears, Black Mirage decided that he'd had enough.

"SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP YOU MISERABLE LITTLE CUNTS! IF I HEAR ONE MORE SOUND OUT OF ANY OF YOU I'M GOING TO GUT YOU ALL!"

Dead silence fell on the room as everyone turned to the back and stared at Naruto, who they didn't recognize at first. Regaining control of his body, Naruto's mind went completely blank as he struggled to find a reaction to not only losing control of his mouth, but being stared at by the entire class for threatening them. Luckily, Iruka stepped into the silence with a cough.

"While that was a little…extreme, thank you Naruto." Gasps abounded.

"That's Naruto!" Sakura yelled, having never dreamed that Naruto of all people would threaten bodily harm to the entire class, much less the girls.

"It's him. Now everyone take your seats." Watching his students file to the closest seats, Iruka sighed. The mood in the room was now totally wrong for his usual end of the year speech. He liked that speech damn it.

"Sensei, why are you covered in bandages and what happened to Naruto?" Iruka sighed again and pinched his nose.

"I was involved in a fight last night, which is why I'm hurt, but I have no idea what your asking about Naruto."

"He yelled at us!" Sakura shouted, not used to the blond raising his voice to her at all.

"His clothes!" Ino chimed in, incredibly curious about why Naruto was wearing that weird mess of strings.

In the Hokage's office, the village leader and all the gathered Jounin in his office to watch the new students via crystal ball perked up, rather curious themselves.

Iruka shrugged. "Naruto, care to explain to your classmates the sudden change of clothes." Naruto blinked.

"It's for a technique I know. It's the first of a school of techniques so I changed my gear to make them easier. It'll change again when I get better at them, but this is what I'm going with for the start of my ninja career." Most of the class seemed interested in what kind of technique would require that kind of coloring, but one student saw an opportunity.

"Yeah right Naruto! Even if you learned some freaky technique, it's probably just something stupid like that naked transformation you're always doing! I bet Sasuke-kun could come up with a much cooler technique on his own, right Sasuke-kun!" As Sakura's voice rose to croon Sasuke's name, Black Mirage snarled.

"_That pink-haired bitch has THE single most annoying voice I've ever heard! She must suffer!_" Scowling, Naruto crossed his arms. Thinking Sakura's comment had sent into a sulk, the rest of the class turned around and Iruka started handing out team assignments.

"_Sakura is nicest, prettiest girl in the class. I really like her._"

"_Name one nice thing she's ever done for you._" Naruto tried to snap off a few examples of Sakura's greatest and gentleness, but he found himself unable to think of one.

"_Name one thing, physically, that sets her apart from the rest of these girls._"

"_Her hair!_" He shot back.

"_That girl with the white eyes has blue hair, and on the way here I spotted a woman with purple hair through your eyes. Try again._"

"_Well, I uh, well I like her and that's too bad!_" Black Mirage snorted in amusement.

"_What a way to win an argument. By the way your name was called. You're on a team with the pink harpy and that Sasuke child you dislike._" Before Naruto could ask what a harpy was, Iruka spoke up.

"I just wanted to say, before I go, that I will miss you all, I know that you all will make me proud as true ninja. Good bye everyone." Sliding open the door, he left, letting in a group of Jounin who spread out, and started calling out team numbers.

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were sitting in the classroom waiting for their new sensei to arrive. Sasuke was bored, but dealing with it. Sakura was a hair away from snapping and attacking the first person to irritate her. Naruto would have been even worse then her had not Black Mirage spent the last few hours discussing what he could and could not do. The sword was reasonably certain he'd gotten through to the boy.

Clack.

All three genin turned to door. Standing in the doorway was a tall, masked Jounin. Silver hair jutted up like broom bristles and his left eye was covered by forehead protector, leaving only a thin band of his face visible. Sweeping his eye over the kids, the man gave a tinny nod. "Team 7, follow me." Standing, the genin obediently followed him outside to a small park. Waving his hand, their sensei had them sit in front of him while he sat on a railing. "Alright. Let's introduce ourselves. Maybe a little self-description."

"Why don't you go first." Naruto challenged, not liking the man's attitude.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'm an elite Jounin. My likes and dislikes are personal. I have a dream, but you're all a little young to hear it. Who wants to go next?"

"I will sensei!" Sakura wasn't thrilled with such a poor introduction, but she wasn't going to make a bad first impression; that was Naruto's job! "My name is Sakura Haruno, a genin of Konoha! I was the best kunoichi of class, so I'm sure I will do well in your care sensei. I like…a certain person and my dream is to…is to…!" Glancing at Sasuke, Sakura squealed, drawing winces from Kakashi whose hearing was well-above human average and Naruto who was forced to deal with a very angry Black Mirage. "As for my dislikes, Naruto and Ino!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but just pointed at Sasuke.

"Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have many likes, and there are many annoying things I hate." Sakura completely missed the look Sasuke sent her way. "My only ambition is to kill a certain man." Kakashi didn't react, having already read the team's profile.

"Mr. Rainbow, you're up."

"Naruto Uzumaki here, future Hokage! I love ramen, training," Naruto started to say Sakura but an angry buzz from his sword made him rethink it. "and my new blade and techniques. I hate waiting for my ramen to cook and jerks who can't get their heads out of their asses! My dreams and ambitions are the same thing, to be a truly legendary Hokage!"

_Interesting. His profile didn't mention him being a kenjutsu practitioner. That sword that Hokage-sama mentioned must have been acquired very recently.  
_

"Well, now that that's out of the way, I have a few things to say. Tomorrow, there will a test. A finale test that will decide if you remain genin or receive remedial training."

"Remedial training? What kind of test is it!"

"A survival test, with a mere 33% chance of passing." All three genin stared in shock. "Meet at training ground 7, tomorrow at 7am. Oh. One last thing. You probably shouldn't eat tomorrow morning, you might throw up." That said, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Sensing opportunity, Naruto turned to Sakura. "Want to get lunch Sakura? We could talk about tomorrow's test and try and make a plan." Ignoring him completely, Sakura raced after Sasuke who was trying to make a clean escape.

"Sasuke-kun! Lets have lunch!"

"_And you adore this girl why?_" Trying to hide his disappointment from the sword, Naruto headed to one of his favorite practice areas. If they were going have such an important test tomorrow then he was definitely going to need to practice.

* * *

10 in the morning found team 7 still standing around, waiting for their sensei to arrive. Sasuke and Sakura had gone past bored and into angry, though only Sakura was showing any sign of it. Naruto was once again distracted by talking with Black Mirage. This was no coincidence. The sword had noted the boy's short attention span and had been working with it. Every time Naruto started getting twitchy, Black Mirage would mention a trick or technique he'd seen at one point or another in his centuries long existence. A lot of what he talked about was either not in Naruto's skill-range or flat out impossible for the boy but brain-storming about ways of pulling them off worked marvelously at keeping him busy.

"Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"SHAR'S TEAT BITCH, STOP SCREAMING!"

Kakashi blinked in surprise at that exchange, wondering why Naruto's profile said he was infatuated with the pink-haired girl. Sasuke simply enjoyed the silence of Naruto's embarrassment and Sakura's hurt at being yelled at by a boy who'd admired her forever. Inner Sakura was NOT a happy camper with this new development and was gearing up to unleash Hell on Naruto when Kakashi saved his life.

"Ahem. If you all are done, there is a test to be taken." Walking up to a stump on the training ground whose top had been smoothed for use as a table or seat, Kakashi put down a wind-up clock and a pair of packed lunches. "Alright, the test is simple. In order to pass, you must have one of these bells." Removing a pair of plain bells from a pocket with a small flourish, Kakashi then attached them to his belt.

"But sensei," Sakura murmured. "they're only two bells. Shouldn't there be three."

"No, there shouldn't. Now, you have until noon. If you want to pass, you should come at me with all your strength and killing intent."

Naruto raised his hand. "Are you sure, sensei. Wouldn't that be dangerous to you?"

Kakashi's smile was visible through the mask. "I wouldn't be much of a Jounin if I couldn't take on a few genin and avoid getting hurt. The test starts…now!"

Sasuke and Sakura figures blurred as they dashed to the edge of the clearing to conceal themselves. Naruto on the hand, didn't move. Kakashi raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"You want something Naruto?"

"You SURE you want us to hit you with everything?"

"Very sure Naruto. Though I am beginning to wonder if you're just stalling for some reason…"

"Ok, if you say so." Reassured that he wasn't going to get in trouble for this, Naruto stunned his audience.

He reached into his chest, his hand disappearing up to his wrist.

Kakashi stared. "What the Hell…" _"Hokage-sama seems to have not mentioned a few things..."_

"You said to use everything I had Kakashi-sensei, so I guess you get to meet Black Mirage." Kakashi watched intently as Naruto drew a black-bladed sword nearly as long as the boy was tall out of his chest. The Jounin also noted the pattern on the boy's chest fading into invisibility as the blade cleared it. Smiling, Naruto took up a two-handed grip, setting the sword in a clumsy defensive posture.

"I take it that sword is called Black Mirage?" Naruto smiled.

"Yep. This is our first trick, Mirror Image!" Without a sound, puff of smoke, and only the slightest surge of chakra, 9 copies of Naruto appeared.

"A Bunshin, that doesn't seem very impressive."

"It gets better." Naruto shot back as the 10 Naruto split up and surrounded Kakashi. Swiveling his head, Kakashi noted that several of the copies were outside the range any genin sound have been able to manage.

"Ahh, enhanced Bunshin. But still, just Bunshin." Naruto grinned, followed shortly by all the Bushin charging with him. As they closed in and Kakashi readied himself for combat, Naruto managed to surprise the Jounin.

"Blur."

It was something like a watercolor painting getting hit by a bucket of water. All the colors in Naruto's clothes began swirling and mixing with each other, blending into the ground and surroundings as well. The technique had a secondary effect. Naruto was casting 'shadows'. Every time he moved so much as an inch, his outline became wildly broken up, leaving only his center mass as the only thing even reasonably visible. Even then, real accuracy was all but impossible. It was, Kakashi noted, a very effective genjutsu, made all the more potent by the fact that it was done seal-less at the last second. Channeling chakra, Kakashi leapt up and back, coming away from the rush with just a swallow cut thanks to Naruto's lack of skill with a blade.

"That," Kakashi noted "is a very, very dangerous trick."

"Thanks sensei." The Naruto's approached, the blurring effect getting worse when they stood next to each other. "Just remember, you asked for my best." With that, Naruto rushed in again.

Focusing on sound more then sight this time, Kakashi easily avoided getting hit again. It was harder then any genin should have made it, which Kakashi attributed to Naruto's ruthless attempts to take advantage of the 'Blur' technique.

_Still, I can keep this up longer then he can. And if he hasn't made more copies by now, then I doubt he could. All I've got to do is pin down his next move and -_

THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK!

Naruto hesitated, watching a swarm of kunai hit his teacher in some rather lethal spots. A moment later 'Kakashi' poofed and turned into a pin-cushioned log. The pause cost Naruto though, having held still long enough for most of the blurring to fade away.

POW!

The blurring completely disappeared as Naruto tumbled through the air, his concentration shattered by the swift kick to his ass from Kakashi. After landing in the river, the Mirror Images vanished.

Feeling a spurt of satisfaction, Kakashi raced to where he could see Sasuke dashing through the woods. The bottom of the class had an interesting trick, best to face the top of the class with a hint of caution.

* * *

Sitting at the bottom of river, looking supremely pissed off, Naruto pondered his next move. He had about 10 minutes of air thanks to one of the tricks he'd heard about from Black Mirage. The sword was quietly impressed by the speed the boy had picked up the secret to this trick, and decided to toss the boy a bone.

"_It's time to take the kid gloves off wielder. Shall we try something, mean?_"

"_Lets._"

* * *

"I didn't get to make this speech earlier, but there are three core principles to being a ninja. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu; care to try one out?" Sasuke spun around to see his new sensei watching him lazily.

"Naruto might have had a cheap trick, but I'm better then him."

"We'll see." Sasuke launched himself at Kakashi, starting a furious Taijutsu assault. Kakashi instantly noted the difference in skill level between Naruto and Sasuke, with Sasuke being much higher. Still, it wasn't getting him a bell, and they both knew it. Jumping back, Sasuke started flipping through hand seals rapidly.

"…shit."

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu." Sasuke watched calmly as the fireball sputtered out, expecting a royal pissed off but injured and weakened Jounin. But, there was nothing.

"Where is he? The sides, above me…behind?"

"Below! Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu(Double Suicide Decapitation technique)." A moment later, Sasuke was completely immobilized. Stepping out of the earth and brushing himself off, Kakashi eyed Sasuke.

"By technique, you ARE better, but he uses what he has very well. Think about it. Now, to traumatize a fan-girl of yours." Kakashi once again disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

After arriving near Sakura, Kakashi had expected the pink-haired girl to put up a decent fight like both her teammates. She proved to be incredibly disappointing, fainting after a quick hell-viewing Genjutsu, something her profile said she was inclined to. Deciding to play with Naruto some more before the timer went off, Kakashi headed to the river to pick up the boy's trail.

What he found was Naruto floating face down in the river, partially weighed down by the sword still gripped in his hand.

"Ohshitohshitohshitoshit! Hokage-sama is going to kill me for this!" Diving into the river, Kakashi reached in to pull the boy and out to try mouth to mouth. When he tried to grab the boy's vest though, his hand went straight through.

_I just jumped into a river after my 'drowned' Genjutsu-specialist genin. Way to go, Kakashi._

**KAR-BOOM!**

An exploding note embedded on the river bed and pumped with chakra to stall it's soaking and destruction went off a few feet from Kakashi and launched the unsuspecting Jounin well into the clearing. Steaming, the silver-haired ninja made a mental note to avoid truly pissing off the blond; at all, ever.

Slightly concussed, the Jounin missed the ringing off the bells as they were taken off his belt, though he did see them float away. Kakashi was about to lunge for the genin and take them back(while inflicting some well deserved vengeance) when the timer finally went off.

Sigh. "Wait here Naruto, I'm going to grab your teammates."

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, why is Sakura-chan tied to the log?" The restrained girl glared hatefully at her sensei.

"She failed to even make an attempt at the bells, unlike Sasuke who managed to brush against them. The fact that you actually GOT the bells just makes her look ridiculous."

"But what's the gag for?" Sakura attempted to scream out support for the sentiment, but failed to get more then faint groaning.

"She yells, loudly and at pitches that make my head feel like an ice pick has been jammed through my temples." Naruto squirmed guiltily, having recently noticed that fact due to Black Mirage's rants on 'that damn harpy whore!'. "Now, I'm afraid that Sasuke and Sakura haven't passed my test. However, since Naruto has, I will allow you two a second chance after lunch. But! For that dismal performance, Sakura is not allowed to eat anything. Later" Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Taking a quick look around, Naruto ripped Sakura's gag out and held out a piece of his lunch. "Eat up Sakura-chan, you'll need your strength for the test." The pinkette would have protested getting food from Naruto of all people but her stomach gurgled, demanding sustenance since she had skipped breakfast. Watching the two, Sasuke scoffed. Still, the blond idiot had some how managed to get the bells, so perhaps he wasn't completely useless, but his pink-haired fan girl was good for nothing but a distraction. Sasuke blinked. That was it! That was how he was going to get a bell(provided Kakashi could get Naruto to hand them back at some point)! He was going to use Sakura as a distraction then swoop in and snatch a bell the way Naruto had probably used those advanced Bushin. Praying she didn't look _too_ deep into it, Sasuke picked up a piece of his own lunch and held it out to Sakura, who blushed. If only the fan-girl hadn't starved herself, this wouldn't be necessary.

"YOU! YOU'VE BROKEN THE RULES!" Scared shitless, team 7 watched their sensei appear and glare at them with a highly effective dramatic background. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PUNISHMENT FOR BREAKING THE RULES IS?" The genin shook their heads.

"You three…pass!"

* * *

"Team 1, remedial training."

"Team2, remedial training."

"Team 3, ditto."

"Team 4, 'sigh' training."

"Team 5, remedial training."

"Team 6, another bunch of remedials." Number 7 was skipped as it was not nearly late enough for Kakashi to be here.

"Team 8 passes." There were some soft murmurs given that the Jounin of 8 was a rookie, but no one said a word against her.

"Team 9 is still active from last year. Asuma?"

"Team 10 passes dad." Whispers and nods abounded. Team 10 was the second Ino-Shika-Chou team and nobody had expected them to fail.

"Has anyone seen Kakashi yet?"

"Why bother Hokage-sama, Kakashi never passes anyone."

"Sorry I'm late. A blond fox thought it would be funny to hit me with an exploding note." People turned to comment on Kakashi's idea of a joke but promptly shut up when they realized that he had a bandage wrapped around his head.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, deciding to get the ball rolling despite having a good idea what happened anyway. "An exploding note you say, that's a rather serious accusation." Kakashi waved it away.

"It was during the test, so it was perfectly legal. Surprised the crap out of me though, and threw me over a river." Loud whispers and not so quite murmurs filled the meeting room.

"Quiet!" Getting his silence, the Hokage gestured for Kakashi to continue. Looks were exchanged as the ex-ANBU described the fight that afternoon, glossing over nothing. In the silence that followed, Kurenai stepped forward.

"Hokage-sama, if Naruto was such a promising Genjutsu master, why wasn't he placed on my team?" The Third smiled gently at the rookie Jounin.

"It's because he couldn't use genjutsu at all till he found that sword; the Black Mirage. From what Naruto has told me, it acts as a focusing lens, converting pure chakra in genjutsu based on Naruto's will. It is a very powerful sword, but incredibly picky about those who wield it. Naruto is one of less then a dozen people to have ever held it and survived." Kurenai winced, nebulous thoughts of trying her hand at the useful sounding weapon dying quickly.

"I see. Still, Hokage-sama, perhaps it would be best I helped him with the basics." Kakashi muttered something quietly about the blond being enough of a menace without them.

"That sounds like a good idea, Kurenai. The boy probably needs a review of all the basics considering where that traitor Mizuki worked. In fact…"

* * *

Later that night, Naruto lay in bed contemplating his sensei's words at the Memorial Stone about those lower then trash. It was, Naruto thought, a good philosophy for a Hokage to have. Slowly, the blond drifted to sleep, dreaming of all his comrades. The people he would gladly give his life for.

* * *

**Author's Note: **As most of you noticed, I changed several scenes in this chapter. This is because I'm writing for an adult audience. I don't need or want the childish humor and stupid jokes and scenes that filled the early half of the Naruto series. These changes will make things a little rougher for the cast members, but such is the life of AU characters.

FYI, the Black Mirage has no control over sound, one of the blade's biggest weaknesses when it comes to it's illusions. Happily, the Naruto universe already has a fairly common trick to help overcome this weakness, though not completely.

Tigee86.


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto the Black Blade  
**

**Disclaimer**: I do not the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterwriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Anymore, I cannot bring myself to believe in the Gods. Not when I myself have created illusions so grand and powerful that the men who died in their grips called me a God as they died." -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of the Black Mirage.

"Regular Speech"

"YELLING OR SHOUTING"

"Heavily empowered speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gates user"

"_Telepathy/mental speech"_

* * *

Team 7 stood in their usual spot, in their usual positions, as the genin waited for their Jounin instructor to arrive. It had been a week exactly since they had passed their sensei's test and in that time they hadn't accomplished much. At least, not that each other knew of. So far, their team exercises had been developing and practicing group maneuvers and covering basic ninja commands and codes. They also spent a few hours each day performing D-rank mission (aka chores) and practicing their Taijutsu. Kakashi had even taken the time to teach Naruto some basic sword exercises. Kakashi didn't teach him very many, given that the ANBU used a different style of weapons, but it was enough for Naruto to start with and build on. Even better, the silver-haired Jounin had taken him aside one day and had given him a scroll containing a technique for Shadow Ventriloquism, a rather common ninja technique for changing and throwing ones voice to avoid giving away an attacker's position.

To be perfectly honest, the Jounin had not given Naruto the training or the scroll of his own volition. Team's 7 sensei had planned to force the genin to bond with each other as teammates before teaching them anything except the basics but Hokage-sama had been _very_ clear that Naruto was to receive them. Apparently, the village leader felt that certain factions were going to attempt to separate Naruto from his sword. Kakashi didn't understand why anyone would bother given Black Mirage's vivid description of what he would do to anyone he didn't like, but the Jounin wasn't going to protest. Although…the Jounin was rather curious as to whether or not the boy had learned Shadow Ventriloquism yet. It'd be oh so useful today…

"Yo!"

"You're late!" Sakura snarled back, eyeing her blond teammate. The kunoichi had slowly learned that for some reason, Naruto now HATED loud noises and yelling. She suspected it something to do with the blonde's strange sword, but neither she nor Sasuke had managed to learn much about the blade despite a great deal of inquiring into it. Sakura had even tried being sweet about asking but the blond just sort of stuttered for a second then told her no. Her! Anyways, the pinkette had learned to never raise her voice around Naruto unless she wanted to hear Naruto threaten her with some very stomach-turning…activities.

"I got lost in bureaucracy." Team 7 blinked, but accepted it. It was better then his usual comments about the Road of Life. "Today I have a surprise for my adorable little genin; we're going to have mini-tourney!"

"A what?"

"A mini-tourney! Hokage-sama feels that because of certain factors, the archived information about your personal skills may be…skewed." Naruto nodded silently, perfectly aware of what the Jounin was referring to. "So, today, we're going to have you guys spar with your graduated classmates and even some graduates from last year. So, follow me!" The walk through town to the appointed training ground for the mini-tourney was uneventful. The villagers had managed to spread the fact that Naruto was no longer wearing his orange jumpsuit but they had also spread the fact that glaring at the boy now had…certain risks. Not every time, but now and then, some one would be glaring at the boy hatefully and they would inexplicably become violently ill. So now, only the most hard-core fools would try to burn holes in the boy with their eyes, making walking through town much less stressful for Naruto.

As they stepped onto training ground 16, team 7 saw teams 8 and 10 standing there with the Jounin instructors that they had seen on graduation day. There was another team of genin there, one whose member's were…unique. The instructor was a very tall and very ripped man with a bowl-cut and oddly intense features. He was wearing a one-piece green bodysuit and legwarmers, covered over with a Jounin flak jacket and belt pouches. Bandages wrapped his hands and feet. Next to him was a near clone, minus the flak jacket. A male Hyuuga with the clan's traditional features and garb stood aside from the two 'mirrors', accompanied by a brunette kunoichi wearing a pink Chinese styled shirt, fitted trousers, and extra weapon pouches. Her hair was safely tucked out of the way in two buns on the top of her head. Moving up into a loose formation with other Jounin, genin standing behind them, Kakashi raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo!"

One of the Jounin, a bearded man, waved back. "Alright, now that Kakashi and his students are here, let's get this started." Stepping back so he could watch all the genin, the smoking Jounin continued. "We want to see what see what you can all do, but don't kill each other. No lethal or crippling attacks, try not to poison the other genin, and the fight stops when any of the Jounin say so. The genin who do the best will spar with Guy's students. Any questions?" Naruto raised his hand.

"Can we use Exploding Notes?" Everyone stared at Naruto, including a slightly nervous Kakashi.

"How do you even have Exploding Notes. There's no way you can afford those on nothing but D-ranks." Naruto grinned evilly.

"As it turns out, I'm really, really good at poker." Sakura glared.

"How's does an idiot with no self-control like you win at poker?" Naruto shrugged.

"Naruto." Kakashi kept his voice casual. "How many of those did you buy?"

"No way! We're going to have a Tournament; why should I tell everyone how much ammo I've got!"

"While I'm delighted to know that you're learning to think about the consequences of all your actions, the fact that you refer to Exploding Notes as ammo terrifies me to no end." Naruto looked at his sensei inquisitively; it was really hard to tell if he was joking or serious when he deadpanned most of the time.

"…anyways, you can use them but don't actually set them off. Just point out that you've got your opponent 'bombed' and the Jounin will decide if it counts as a kill. Would anyone like to go first?"

Naruto barely heard Kiba eagerly jump at the chance to showcase his skills. The moment Asuma(the smoking Jounin), had stopped talking, Black Mirage spoke up.

"_The Kyuubi asked me to relay an offer to you. If you can beat all your classmates, then he will teach you a Kitsune technique. If you beat the older genin, he'll teach you another Kitsune trick._" Naruto blinked.

"_Would he really teach me? Why would he even offer me something like that!_" Black Mirage radiated a sense of confusion.

"_I haven't a clue, though he has been muttering something about subtly and illusions being proper Kitsune methods. I would suggest trying it. Even if the Kyuubi refuses to teach you, you need practice against living opponents. Simply weaving illusions over dummies only teaches so much._" Naruto nodded physically.

"_Ok, I mind as well try._"

"Did you want to fight Kiba, Naruto?" Naruto looked up, surprised by the question.

"Huh?"

"You nodded. You wanted to partner with Kiba for the first spar?"

"Uh, yeah, I will!" Kiba grinned as Naruto walked into the center of clearing. Cracking his knuckles and waiting for everyone else to get to one side, Kiba decided to start things off with a little trash talking. With Naruto's short temper, a couple of insults would make the blond too mad to use his greatest strength; sheer creativity.

"I don't know what you think you're going to do against me Naruto! Even if you actually have those Exploding Notes you were bragging about I'll be on you too quickly for you to set them up! Give up and spare yourself the beating!" Anger darkened Naruto complexion but the blond didn't take the bait. Instead, he pressed his right hand to his chest, covering what most of the ninja present agreed was a beautiful/cool tattoo.

"Just start this and we'll see who takes a beating." Asuma stepped between them, hand raised.

"Ready, set, fight!" Asuma leapt back as Kiba rushed in, trying to finish this quickly.

At the same time, Naruto pushed his hand _into_ his chest, grabbed something, and heaved. As the blonde's arm straightened out, Kiba's instincts went crazy. Obeying them, he stopped rushing in and jumped to the side. Moments later, the black sword Naruto had found and teamed up with about a week ago flew through the general area he would have been in had he not dodged. Kiba stared.

"Man, what the _hell_! Where'd that come from?" Naruto grinned, adding his other hand to the grip and shifting the blade into a defendable position.

"Neat trick, huh? Black Mirage and I have a lot of 'em. This one made sensei sweat. Blur!" The crowd gasped the Genjutsu took affect. Grinning like a loon, Naruto attacked. Kiba fell back, not sure how to deal with the strange technique right away. After studying the 'shadows' for a bit, Kiba decided the trick was go crazy and aim for the middle.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu(Four-Legged technique)." Naruto stumbled, watching the wild-looking boy turn positively feral. This…could be bad.

"Eat this!" With the increase in speed, Kiba rushed in again. This time he was fast enough to completely dodge the sword, landing a heavy punch in Naruto's stomach. The smaller blonde went flying, landing flat on his back, sword still in hand. "Heh. Even with a fancy sword, you're still not much of ninja, Naruto."

Naruto growled in annoyance as he got back up, apparently unaffected by the punch. "Alright Kiba, I was going to play nice, but that's it! I'll show you who's a ninja." Naruto reached into his belt pouch, drawing a kunai. "Found this on the Scroll of Sacred Sealing after I stole it." Naruto threw the kunai at the skeptical Kiba.

"Kage Shuriken Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Shuriken clone technique)." A moment after the kunai left Naruto's hand, the single weapon turned into dozens. Yelping, Kiba dove for cover as the kunai rained over his side of the clearing. Strangely, all but the first kunai disappeared into swirls of smoke as they hit. Kiba stared for moment, then growled.

"Goddamn it! It's just a stupid distraction technique!" Pissed now, Kiba jumped out from behind his cover and charged at Naruto. Looking blank, Naruto grabbed and threw another kunai. When he called out the same technique, Kiba shifted his line of attack enough to avoid the first kunai and kept running. As the copied kunai would have passed by Kiba, the Inuzuka stopped dead as blood splattered from a sizeable wound on his left shoulder. As everyone stared, there was a silent flash of light and 'Naruto' disappeared as the real Naruto faded into sight, just a few feet forward, holding the Black Mirage outright at shoulder level. Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"It really is on the Scroll, you know. Kage Shuriken Bunshin no Jutsu. I just didn't have the scroll long enough to learn it."

"Match!" Asuma called, rushing forward. "Medic!" A moment later, a team of medic-nin dropped from the trees and started treating Kiba. Naruto goggled.

"When they'd get here?" Kurenai walked up, smiling in amusement.

"They were here before we started. You didn't think we'd put our students at risk without medics on hand, did you?" Kurenai glanced at Kiba, quickly determining that it was a manageable wound. Her student taken care of for the moment, Kurenai decided she could now work on her personal interests. "Naruto. What's the name of the Genjutsu you used?" Naruto looked uncomfortable.

"It doesn't have a name. I just make it work." Kurenai's eyes widened. Genjutsu through pure willpower was the kind of thing you only heard of coming from highly trained Uchiha.

"Really? That's impressive. Maybe you'd like to meet some time and discuss Genjutsu? I'm a Genjutsu mistress myself, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't encourage another Genjutsu user." Silently asking Hinata for forgiveness, Kurenai put on a blinding smile and laid a hand on the boy's arm. "I might even teach you a few special techniques. We'll talk to later about setting up a meeting, ok?" Getting a quiet nod from the stunned looking boy, Kurenai straighten up and walked back to her genin, feeling slightly dirty. Still, as long she didn't actually do anything, it wasn't THAT bad. Flashing a few smiles and kind words wasn't wrong, especially if it got her answers about the sword.

"Alright. Kiba's going to be fine. Who wants to go next?"

"Me." Everyone turned to Naruto. Asuma's eyebrow tried to crawl into his hairline.

"Naruto, you just went. Do you really want to go again?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, I want to go until I drop!" Asuma looked at the other Jounin, but none of them protested. Despite the chattering he did, there wasn't really all that much actually known about Naruto. If he wanted to do this, they'd give him the chance and see just what he was after.

"I will fight Naruto. It should prove to be an interesting experience." Asuma nodded to Shino, who walked up into the appropriate starting position. Naruto got into an aggressive stance and readied for the starting wave.

"Ready, set, go!" Naruto charged, sword ready for a swing. Shino, strangely, didn't move, even as Naruto cleaved right through his body. Naruto's mouth dropped in shock, and his grip on Black Mirage was slipping from the horror of killing one of his classmates when Shino's body dissolved into a large swarm of bugs that covered Naruto from head to toe.

"Ahhh! Get them off me! Get them off!" Shino stepped out from behind a nearby tree as Naruto ran in a panicked frenzy.

"It is no use, once the Destruction Bugs are on you, you will not escape."

"Ahhh! Get them off me! Get them off!" Shino adjusted his glasses as Naruto continued to run in the same pattern.

"I find myself disappointed with such an easy win after your tricks against Kiba."

"Ahhh! Get them off me! Get them off!" Shino frowned slightly as his sensei sighed and Asuma chuckled. Both Kakashi and Guy were scanning the clearing intently, not paying any attention to the screaming Naruto, who was running in the exact same pattern for the fourth time in a row. Shino sighed.

"You have somehow learned to fool Destruction Bugs, have you not?" The point of a sword gently made itself known at the base of Shino's skull.

"I don't think so. I use the same stuff on everyone. Are those bugs super good at finding Genjutsu?" The swarm in the clearing began to lift off, confused as to why the target was both in front of them and behind the Aburame, threatening the Hive.

"Destruction Bugs are highly resistant to Genjutsu because of the way their senses are processed. Additionally, they are sensitive to chakra, which should have of alerted them to the Genjutsu's presence." Shino could almost hear the other boy blink.

"Oh. My Genjutsu are bent light." Shino considered it.

"Interesting." Louder, he said. "I yield. Uzumaki-san has me trapped in an un-survivable position." Naruto faded into sight, smiling. Shino gracefully accepted his defeat, knowing that had he been aware of the difference in Naruto's Genjutsu, that the fight would have been very different.

In the group of Genin, who were now largely milling together, Ino leaned over to whisper to Sakura. "Pst! Forehead, when did Naruto get so good?" Sakura scowled at the hated nick-name but answered without calling her on it.

"Not very long ago. I overheard sensei comment that Naruto had some very powerful techniques but he was actually really clumsy with them!"

"No way!" Ino gasped. "He's already beaten Kiba and Shino!" Sakura gave her friend a significant look. That tore it. Ino had to know what was going on and there was one sure way to do it. "Sensei! I'll go next!" Asuma looked shocked to see one of his genin volunteering to fight without being goaded first, but allowed it, wondering what was going on. As the kunoichi got into her starting position, Naruto chuckled to himself.

"_What's so funny, Naruto?_"

"_Ino sucks. I could beat her up even before I found you._" The sword 'ahhed'.

"_I guess this means I won't be doing very much._"

"Hey Ino! Would you like the first swing!" Ino was a very bossy person and Naruto didn't much like being ordered around without a really good reason; Naruto wasn't a big fan of Ino's.

Ino's lips curved up into a fragile smile. "Such a gentlemen! I think I'll take you up on that. Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind Body Change technique)!" As Ino brought up her hands in the odd hand seal for the technique, Asuma choked on his cigarette.

"Damn it Ino! Anybody but Naruto, anybody!" He was, unfortunately, too late. An orb of chakra representing Ino traveled to the confused and still Naruto, sinking into his skin on contact.

"Kakashi-sensei, what did she just do to me, and why isn't she moving?" All the Jounin and the genin who knew about the Yamanaka Secret Techniques gawked at Naruto, who showed no signs of possession.

"_Well well, she's a body-snatcher._"

"_A what?_"

"_A body-snatcher, or a skin-walker. It's a general name for creatures who enter the body of another for some reason. They tend to be very difficult opponents. It's not unheard of for a body-snatcher to be killed only to have the thing jump free at the last second. Luckily, this one seems to be young and stupid. I have her walking, trapped, in the tunnels. She'll come out when she's tired._" Naruto 'tch'ed, snapping the audience awake.

"Ino's lost in my head, but she'll come out when she's-"

_WHOOSH!_

The chakra orb that was Ino's mind and chakra jumped out of Naruto and back into her body. Rolling his eyes, Naruto walked up to the recovering Ino and laid Black Mirage on her shoulder. "Have a nice visit Ino?" She smiled weakly.

"No?"

"Naruto wins." Helping Ino up, Asuma looked Naruto in the eyes. The boy mouthed 'she's fine', greatly reassuring the Jounin. "Next?" Sasuke walked up, eyeing Naruto as he stood across from the blond. Naruto stared back. Sasuke knew the most about his tricks of all the other ninja having been on the receiving end of most of regular ones.

"Ready, set, go!"

Sasuke opened with a handful shuriken, forcing Naruto to dodge. The Uchiha had learned through a week of sparing that you had to keep Naruto on the defensive; given even a moment to concentrate he'd cast a Genjutsu and you'd be the one in trouble. Drawing a pair of kunai, Sasuke charged as the blond was trying to set his feet. Clashing sounds rang in the clearing as Sasuke launched a flurry of attacks to keep the other boy distracted while he attempted to maneuver to blond into an advantageous position. But, Naruto had gotten almost as much out of the spars as Sasuke had. Working Black Mirage in a frenzied defense, he began slowly building up chakra. The sword waited patiently for the energy, passing the time creating flickers of light or false images to Sasuke's eyes to help cover for lack of skill Naruto possessed in using a sword. The blond spent hours a day practicing, but you could only learn so much so fast. A moment later, a feint from Sasuke was enough for the Uchiha to get a kunai pass his defense and stab the blond in the arm.

_Poof_

Cursing at his opponent's use of kawarimi no jutsu, Sasuke closed his eyes, listening intently. One of the few things that team 7 had learned was that Black Mirage controlled light, not sound. If you could hear Naruto, then you knew where he was. The problem was that Naruto was incredibly good at sneaking around when he tried. The crowd of ninja watched, interested. The Jounin instantly figured out what he was doing, and most of the genin did too. The Jounin and Neji were the ones to spot the odd shimmer approaching Sasuke from an angle on the left. Once in position, the shimmer swung, belting Sasuke up-side the head with the flat of the blade. Naruto moved to take advantage but he moved too quickly and Sasuke caught a glimpse of the blurred shape of the corner of his eye and kicked out. Naruto howled and dropped as the kick nailed him in the knee. Both boys lost their weapons as they launched themselves at each other, locking into a grapple. Fists and elbows flew as they both tried to pin the other long enough to reach for something sharp. Sasuke's greater skill left him on equal footing with Naruto's gobs and gobs of experience in bare-knuckle brawling. Seeing the two tumbling across the clearing trying to beat each senseless quickly got more then a few laughs from their audience. Black Mirage was not happy about being let go, but as much as he didn't like it, swords weren't exactly an ultra-close range weapon.

"_Fight dirty Naruto. Nobody cares about cheap tactics as long as you win._"

_Thunk!_

Winces abounded among the men as Sasuke let out a pained yelp and let go of Naruto reflexively. He fought down the instinct quickly but the lost grip ended the fight for him. Seconds later, Naruto had Sasuke in a choke-hold. Asuma walked over and investigated the situation.

"Sasuke, can you get out?" The Uchiha glared at the Jounin and sputtered something unintelligible from lack of air. "Can you or can't you?" Sasuke refused to give, and eventually passed out when Naruto just kept tightening his hold on the other boy's throat. "Winner, Naruto." It took a bit of work to separate the two boys, given their stubborn attempts to lock-down each other, but it got done. As Sasuke was checked over for unexpected damaged inflicted during the hold, Naruto waved off the medic-nin who attempted to look over the split lip and bruises Naruto had received from Sasuke. Naruto had always healed fast, and he didn't want the medic-nin to find/or reveal the tender spot that was still carrying around from Kiba's first hit. "Alright. Who wants to go next?" No one stepped forward. "Anyone?"

Kakashi turned to Sakura. "Why don't you go next Sakura?" The pinkette winced.

"I don't want to?" Sakura had learned the hard way that she couldn't take either of her teammates. Sasuke was far too skilled and Naruto could take anything she could throw at him and keep coming. "I've been fighting Sasuke and Naruto all week; can't you just judge me off that?" Kakashi eyed her.

"You didn't do very well in any of those spars. Are you sure you want me to report that?" Sakura nodded.

"If that's what you want." Kakashi smiled at the others. "So, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji are left. Any takers against my student?" Guy spoke up.

"Kakashi, my Eternal Rival, perhaps it is best if one of the other genin were to fight each other. Naruto's…advantage seems unfair." Most of the ninja caught the look at Naruto's sword. Kakashi waved Guy's concerns away.

"Maybe, but he is challenging himself by fighting ALL the other students, isn't he? Besides, everyone should have realized what his specialty was after the first fight and fought accordingly. Sasuke was the only one to do so."

Kurenai added her two cents to the conversation. "To be fair Kakashi, Genjutsu isn't very well covered in the Academy. Most ninja don't start encountering it until they hit chuunin. We can't expect them know how to deal with something they know so little about." Kurenai shot a disappointed look at Kiba. "Though I hoped my students would be better at handling Genjutsu." Kiba quietly grumbled something about scent not giving away someone's exact position. Kurenai put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Maybe you should give it a try Hinata-chan. I'm sure you'll do just fine." Hinata blushed heavily, but agreed to give it a try at her teacher's encouragement. Asuma attempted the same with his two male students but their laziness overcame his ability to motivate them.

Naruto stared as Hinata took her starting stance, albeit with a bit of shaking. Naruto dimly remembered her from the Academy. Quiet and shy, he could remember her being in class, and her name, but he'd never really interacted with her at all. Still, he as far as he could tell, she'd always been pretty nice, or at least she'd never made fun of him.

"_I don't really want to hurt her. Is there a technique I can use that won't beat her up?_"

"_A few, yes. You're right though. It would probably be best to use a gentle take down on this one; she seems terrified of you._" Naruto could only agree with him. Even just standing there, waiting for Asuma to start the match, Hinata was staring and shaking. She seemed to occasionally mumble something but he couldn't catch it. Weirdly, she was flushed, rather then pale, but still, he couldn't think of anything else that caused a reaction like. Black Mirage had an idea, but he was more used to controlling and destroying people instead of helping them. "_If you want to be nice about this, hold me so the gem on my hilt is even with your eyes and then stare into hers. Be sure to channel chakra to your eyes like I taught you for the Fear technique._"

"_I still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong with that one._"

"_You've never truly felt utter terror. Nervousness and fear perhaps, but until you experience something, you cannot truly force others to experience it. Now, chakra, gem, quickly._"

"-go!" Hinata made a few quick hand seals.

"Byakugan!"

Naruto quickly flipped Black Mirage upside down and channeled chakra. Hinata hesitated. Not a very aggressive person to begin with, Hinata was very reluctant to strike out against her crush. So, she stood there, unsure what to do as Naruto followed Black Mirage's instructions.

There was mass blinking as Naruto and Hinata silently stared into each other's eyes for a minute before the Hyuuga heiress suddenly just collapsed.

"She's asleep. I win right?" A quick check later Asuma called out Naruto's victory, looking surprised.

"_That took way too long. If she hadn't just sat there, waiting for you try something, you would have never succeeded._"

"_I know damnit, but who am I supposed to practice this stuff on, huh?_" While boy and sword argued possible methods of practice, med-nins hustled Hinata off to be woken up as the Jounin discussed who would go next. Choji was agreed on and the heavy-set boy started to move forward. Before he got out of reach Shikamaru grabbed his arm and leaned forward to whisper advice in his best friend's ear.

"Naruto, are you ready?" Naruto snapped out of it.

"Yeah, I'm ready!"

"Ready."

Following Black Mirage's 'suggestion', Naruto tried to catch Choji's eye to practice on. Unfortunately, the bigger boy had his eyes closed as his hands flew through seals to the Akimichi family techniques.

"Baika no Jutsu(Multi-size technique)!" Seeing Choji ballon up, Naruto almost laughed. Family techniques were almost never shown at the Academy because of security risks, so this was the first time that Naruto had ever seen this rather amusing sight. The blond stopped laughing when Choji's arms, legs, and head all disappeared into his body. As Choji started to spin, tearing up the earth beneath him, Naruto heard something about meat and tanks but he didn't care much for whatever the other boy was saying. Instead, Naruto shoved Black Mirage into his rune and ran for the trees, not knowing a single technique that could stop an attack this. Inside his head Naruto could hear could hear Black Mirage swearing up a storm. The sword could cast some amazingly powerful illusions as long as his wielder had the energy to power him but nothing he could do worked unless the victim could see it! It was the swords greatest weakness and Shikamaru had quickly figured it out. Oh, the Nara boy did not know for sure that Naruto couldn't use Genjutsu on blinded opponents but he had concluded that all of Naruto's current techniques were vision based. The blond was now suffering the fruits of Shikamaru's intellect, desperately trying to hide from the rolling Akimichi. Cheers could be heard going up from the genin. Most of them were pleased to see someone finally put Naruto on the run-literally as the case may be- and if that meant backing Choji, so be it. Getting desperate for a little space and time to think of something other then the sword he'd come to relay a little too heavily on, Naruto reached into his pouch and drew a tag. Tying it to a kunai, Naruto jumped and twisted mid-air.

"Eat this!" Hurling the tag, Naruto used the momentum to spin back around by the time he hit the ground again. Choji swerved to one side to avoid the unprimed tag, proving that he could perceive what was going on around him…some how.

* * *

Bang!

Several of the genin jumped as something crashed in the woods around the training ground.

"Sound's like the forest is getting torn up in there. Choji must be pressing him pretty hard if he's still running." Asuma smirked at Kakashi.

"Looks like Naruto's streak is about to come to end." Kakashi turned to smile back at Asuma.

"Care to make a bet?"

* * *

Hidden in the crook of tree, Naruto watched Choji steamroll through the forest, demolishing smaller trees and knocking around the bigger ones. So far, the only thing keeping him from being squashed was superior stealth skills and the ability to jump from tree to tree. He'd tried a couple shuriken but they had just bounced off Choji's rotating bulk. He could try more tags to make the other boy back off to avoid being 'killed', but he didn't have all that many Exploding Notes and Choji wouldn't hold still long enough for Naruto to step up a trap.

"_Face it. You may have to just wait this one out and hope he stops that attack long enough to ensnare him in an illusion._"

Naruto scowled, but silently agreed. He just hated waiting.

CRASH!

Distracted by his conversation with Black Mirage, Naruto failed to note Choji head straight for the tree he was hiding in. Cursing like a sailor, Naruto hit the ground hard, losing his breath. Bouncing off one of the thicker trees in the area Choji launched himself into the air and towards Naruto.

"Look out below!"

Naruto screamed as over a half ton of Akimichi flew straight at him.

* * *

Waiting impatiently, the assorted members of teams 7, 8, 9, and 10 stared in the trees where the medic-nin team providing first aid for this event had raced into the woods after the enormous crash. Kakashi fidgeted ever so slightly, afraid that the crash was Naruto slipping with his impulse control and blowing up Choji. It was a few very uncomfortable minutes before medic-nins marched out of the tree-line carrying a exhausted but conscious Choji. Asuma let out a sigh a relief at the sight of his intact student. Shortly afterwards, Naruto staggered out of the trees, framed by concerned medics.

Naruto was, for lack of better words, messed up.

The blond was covered in dirt, shredded plant life, and spatters of his own blood. Strips of his wraps and ribbons were either torn or missing, and Black Mirage was still hiding in his rune. With so much of his skin exposed, it was easy to see that most of the boy's body was developing bruises. To top it all of, the skin over his left eye was split and his nose looked freshly broken and reset. Looking barely aware of his surroundings, Naruto was lead back to the main group.

"Naruto?" The blond seemed to snap into focus at the sound of his name.

"Uh-huh?"

"You ok?"

Naruto managed a nod. "Yeah. Anybody left to fight?"

Kurenai approached him looking concerned. "Maybe you should stop now Naruto."

"Yes!" Guy cheered, popping up behind Naruto unexplainably, startling the genin into falling down. "The Flames of your Youth burn brilliantly, but perhaps it is best that you retire from the field." Getting back up slowly, Naruto shook his head.

"No. I gotta get everyone. That's the deal." The Jounin exchanged worried looks while the genin did the same out of simple curiosity. Neji and Sasuke were the only ones who didn't seem to care.

"What deal?" Kakashi asked, managing to sound bored.

"The one Black Mirage made. I get a new technique out of it." Naruto was referring to the fact that Black Mirage brokered the deal for him with the Kyuubi. The Jounin all relaxed thinking that the sword was offering Naruto a deal personally.

"You sure that it's worth it?" Asuma asked around a cigarette. Naruto huffed and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's just get going." The blond staggered back into the center the clearing, drawing Black Mirage from his chest. "Come on already, let's go!" Shikamaru sighed and slouched his way out to settle across from the dizzy looking Naruto.

"Troublesome. You look like Choji landed a direct hit; how are you still standing?" Naruto grinned unsteadily.

"I'm tough, and I heal very quickly. You wanna a piece of this?" Shikamaru's right eyebrow lifted slightly as Naruto slurred that last sentence.

"If I just stand here, you'll pass out anyways. Why bother?" Naruto stared, processing that comment slowly. This gave Naruto time to realize that Shikamaru was standing there with his eyes closed, and a look of intense concentration. Slowly, the blond reached into his belt pouch and removed several kunai and a stack of Exploding Notes. Naruto tucked Black Mirage under his left arm and began laboriously applying Exploding Notes to the kunai. Once finished, he tossed them at Shikamaru. Instantly, the shadow user jumped back and ducked. Naruto swore, realizing that the Exploding Notes were pretty much useless to get Shikamaru to surrender. Grabbing shuriken, Naruto threw them straight at Shikamaru who dodged again, in a slightly different pattern.

"Troublesome. Kage Mane no Jutsu(Shadow Imitation technique)." Naruto gaped as Shikamaru's shadow suddenly came alive and rushed across the ground. Still a little concussed and confused about the movement of the shadow, Naruto didn't move at all before Shikamaru's shadow attached to his. The moment it did, Naruto lost all control of his body.

"Huh?" Shikamaru sighed, before lifting his arms and opening his hands when they were extended.

"_What are you doing Naruto; why did you let me go?_"

"Kage Mane no Jutsu." Shikamaru repeated, opening his eyes. "Once caught in my technique, my opponent is forced to copy all my movements. You're helpless. Give up or I'll have you grab a kunai from your pouch and hold it to your throat." Naruto seemed to be thinking it over. Shikamaru wasn't comforted to see clarity returning to Naruto's eyes.

"Your shadow…makes me do things?" Shikamaru _really_ didn't like that question.

"Why does it matter?" Naruto grinned. Then, he said a single word.

"Darkness."

Shikamaru sighed as all light in the clearing died and his technique vanished. The Nara secret techniques worked best with lots of shadows, but this darkness had destroyed ALL light, preventing the existence of shadows. Slinking away from where he'd been using the Kage Mane technique, Shikamaru headed for the tree line, hoping to escape this 'Darkness' technique before…

_TWACK!_

Less then a minute after all light fled from the clearing, it returned revealing a panting Naruto holding Black Mirage like a club. Shikamaru was groaning on the ground, clutching his head.

"I win!" That said, the blond collapsed, Black Mirage turned into light and vanished into Naruto's chest.

* * *

"Well, how did it go?"

In the Hokage's office, the Jounin of teams 7-10 stood in a semi-circle in front of the village leader's desk. Puffing away on a cigarette, Asuma answered for the group.

"Naruto did much better then we expected, managed to take on the rest of his class and win one-on-one."

"It is unfortunate that my adorable genin could not test the Flames of their Youth against the blaze that is Uzumaki-san, but Lee looks forward to a match of Youth in the Future!" Sarutobi sent a look to Kakashi, silently asking for a translation. Closing his Icha-Icha, Kakashi drew himself upright.

"Naruto kept insisting on fighting all his classmates in one on one matches. His first couple of wins were rather easy since no one quite expected the 'Dead Last' of the class to suddenly begin hurling Genjutsu like they were out of style, but as the matches progressed and the genin began adapting, he nearly lost a few times. If he were to try again…he probably would not be able to defeat them all again."

"If Kiba had used his combination techniques at the start of their fight, Naruto probably wouldn't have pulled it off anyways. He nearly lose to Choji as it was." Kurenai hmm'ed for a second before continuing. "From what I saw today, we have a fair idea of what the Black Mirage's limits are." Sarutobi gestured for the Genjutsu mistress to continued since this was her field of expertise - mostly.

"The sword only seems capable of purely visual Genjutsu - it never generated a sound or scent as I far as I could tell. Naruto displayed some minor talent with Shadow Ventriloquism and _considerable_ stealth skills, avoiding detection most of the time even when against Kiba and Shino."

"That's the no surprise." The Hokage murmured. "Naruto has spent a great deal of time running from and avoiding his prank victims. If he hadn't picked up some stealth and evasion skills I would have been disappointed. Anything else?"

"Two things Hokage-sama." Kakashi drawled. "One, Naruto referred to some sort of deal that he struck with Black Mirage involving some unknown technique. I'll keep an eye out for it, and report on it's effects as soon as I can determine them."

"And the other thing?"

"It seems there is a second reason the sword is called the 'Black' Mirage. During the fight with Shikamaru, it absorbed all nearby light, preventing any shadows from being cast." Sarutobi blinked.

"Impressive. Guy, what did Neji have to report to you?"

"As requested, Neji discreetly observed all of the battles with the Byakugan active. He claims that the only technique that he could actually see with the Byakugan was the 'Blur' technique, which completely obscured Naruto's tenketsu. No other Genjutsu Naruto created seemed to appear while the Byakugan was active, though they were perfectly visible once Neji deactivated his bloodline."

"Interesting." The Hokage mused. "Thank you all for assisting in the investigating of Naruto's sword. We have yet to find any records of it in the tower, which leads me to believe that the sword may predate the village. Our records only covered about 120 years or so, so it is entirely possible."

"Doesn't that mean that someone secretly hid it in the Scroll of Sealing then?" Kakashi pointed out.

"Yes." The Hokage said grimly. "Yes it does."

* * *

Carrying an air of stubborn determination, Naruto walked down the drab corridors of his own mind. The last thing the boy remembered involved a fight with his former classmate/sorta friend Shikamaru and a contest. Arriving at the gigantic bronze gates representing the Kyuubi's prison, the blond ninja couldn't help but feel a bubble of excitement growing in his chest. The Fox had promised a technique if he defeated his classmates, a victory he had pulled off due to luck and surprise and not something he looked forward to again. Still, despite his excitement, Naruto was also feeling a great deal of doubt. The nine-tailed beast had promised to teach him a technique, but would the living disaster keep his word?

"**Here for your lesson already, human?"** Naruto jabbed a finger at the Demon Lord, shouting his response.

"Damn right I am, and don't try anything funny! You promised me a technique and I better get one!" The Kyuubi snorted in contemptuous amusement of the human's demands.

"**If I were to try anything 'funny', brat, I truly doubt your miniscule human brain would be able to comprehend it."** The Youko's massive eyes narrowed. **"Still, as even you know, a promise must be kept. And, since you have had the sense to attempt to ape your betters, the cunning Kitsune, I have decided to attempt to teach you the most basic of Kitsune attacks; Kitsune-Bi."** Naruto gaped.

"How am I supposed to learn Kitsune techniques!"

"**You contain the greatest of all Foxes, brat. If there is any hairless ape in this world capable of Kitsune magic, it is you. Now pay attention human; I have no intention of repeating myself."**

Shaking away any doubt or confusion, Naruto listened intently as the King of Hell described how to use and control his people's most iconic attack technique. Hidden nearby in the shadows that populated Naruto's mindscape, Black Mirage also listened to the instructions. It was not everyday that had a chance to learn from such a being without paying a hefty price. It was an opportunity the sword was not about to pass up.

* * *

**Author's note:** Just to get it out there, I suck at fight scenes. Hopefully, I'll get better, but this is what I can do for now.

Yes Naruto went 8 for 0, no he won't be able to 'wipe the board' again, so to speak. Some of those fights Naruto only won because of the long-standing image of Naruto being a useless weakling in the Academy. As you can you see, the later fights got harder and I will tell you right now, Neji or Lee could have both easily tore him apart. Tenten wasn't as sure a bet, but Naruto wouldn't been up for another round after that.

As some of you might have guessed by the end of this chapter, Naruto's skill set is starting to take on some distinctly Kitsune-like qualities. I'm doing this on purpose. Naruto is heading towards a certain type of reputation, one that's going to be heavily driven by Konoha prejudice and some of his own actions.

As Naruto's control over Black Mirage's illusionary abilities improves, he will finally get a kenjutsu instructor; you'll see who, how, and why later.

Tigee86.

_Cleaned up chapters one through three - 8/16/10_


	4. Chapter 4

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"I started out training as an evoker but after the third time I dropped a Fireball on myself accidentally, I decided that I needed to study something less hazardous to my health." -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

In one of the newer growth areas in the forest surrounding Konoha, three figures flitted from shadow to shadow, closing in on their unsuspecting prey. The target itself was relaxing in a sunny clearing, enjoying the warmth and peace of the midsummer day. The three figures spread out along the edges of the clearing, keeping one eye on the target at all times. Once they were is position, each figure raised a hand.

"This is Fire-fan, in position."

"This is Pink Princess, in position."

"This is…Rainbow-brat, in position."

"Confirm target ID."

"Description match, complete with red ribbon over ear."

"Then operation is a Go, repeat, operation is a Go!" At this, all three shadow-concealed figures leapt towards the target revealing the genin of Team 7. The target, the infamous escapee-cat Tora started at the unexpected movement and tried to make a run for it. Sadly for Tora, the genin's approach had been in a well coordinated triangle pattern, leaving no open avenue to retreat through. Sadly for the _genin_, Tora quickly realized this and reacted as most cornered animals do. She attacked, as viciously as possible.

"Son of a mother-fucking bitch!" Howling, Naruto went down with a snarling, clawing feline trying to scratch out his eyes. "Why does it always go for me! I never did anything to it!" Sasuke and Sakura watched with no small amount of vindictive glee as Naruto rolled around on the ground trying to pry the angry cat off his face. Naruto would have been super pissed to know that Sasuke and Sakura had both taken to hesitating at the last second when rushing Tora after the first time this particular D-rank mission had been assigned to team 7. As far as they were concerned, this was just getting even for the beatings the blond bastard kept tossing them in their spars. Sasuke was feeling particularly vindictive since he'd always been able to beat Naruto in a fight at the Academy. Now though? He only won when Kakashi put some restrictions on the match.

'_Still…_' Sasuke thought '_we'll see how often he wins when my Sharingan awakens._'

Kakashi lazily strode into the clearing as Naruto finally managed to restrain Tora. "Good work team. Let's head in for our next mission." Kakashi's one visible eye swiveled in it's socket towards Naruto. "You alright over there Naruto?"

"I hate this cat so damn much." Scowling, Naruto got to his feet and extended his arms to keep Tora from going at his eyes again. "If I'm the one who keeps getting scratched, then I'm picking the code-names next time Kakashi -sensei." Waving away the demand, Kakashi turned and started walking, obediently followed by his genin all the way to the Hokage's tower. Once there, team 7 turned Tora over to her owner, the Fire Daimyo's wife. Distracted by trying to memorize the sight of Tora being squeezed to the brink of death, Naruto almost missed hearing Sarutobi listing of possible missions for them to take.

"…babysitting, picking up groceries, unloading a merchant caravan…"

"Stop!" The Hokage quirked an eyebrow at the sudden outburst from Naruto but he really wasn't surprised at all.

'_At least he had the sense to wait until the Daimyo's wife left. That old rumor-monger would have never left if she sensed something potentially juicy._'

"I take it you have something you want to say Naruto?"

"Hell yeah! I'm tired of these dinky kiddie jobs. Give us something harder Old Man; me and Mirage need a challenge!" Black Mirage mentally growled his agreement with the sentiment, badly craving conflict now that he was out of the scroll and in the hands of a true wielder. Sarutobi smiled slightly as Naruto went on a rant about how he'd never be Hokage if he never did anything cool. It was nice to see that the boy was as lively and feisty as ever.

"Well, if you feel that way, perhaps I could find you something a little more challenge then walking dogs." There were quite a few shocked expressions around the room at the Hokage's statement. Everyone in the room had figured that the village leader would kindly turn down Naruto's demand.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure that's a wise idea? After all, team 7 only recently graduated." Sarutobi chuckled, waving away Iruka's concern.

"Team 7 is an exceptional group Iruka-kun, as you know. Besides, I do have a rather easy C-rank in mind for them. Tazuna, come in please." Hearing the name, Naruto discarded any idea of guarding a princess, but was still holding out hope for a Daimyo's relative when a pudgy, aged drunk staggered into the room. Dressed in worn peasant clothing, the drunk squinted at team 7 before opening his trap.

"These better not be my guards. It's just a bunch of brats. And that short one looks like a retard in that get-up!" Naruto might have been briefly distracted by comparing heights had not Tazuna mentioned the outfit. Giving Mirage a mental command, Naruto thrust his hand forward. Having only ever seen Naruto draw Black Mirage by reaching into his chest, the assembled ninja were surprised when Black Mirage formed in Naruto's hand, the point of the blade resting less then an inch from Tazuna's throat.

"What was that about what I'm wearing?" Naruto growled. Tazuna held _very_ still, sweating badly. Delicately, Kakashi griped the tip of the sword and moved it from Tazuna's throat, noting the edge of Black Mirage was sharp enough to leave deep scrapes on his leather gloves just brushing against the sword.

"Mah…no need to be so uptight Naruto. Tazuna IS a client after all." Snorting, Naruto called Black Mirage back into himself.

"Fine. But if I hear one more crack about my clothes, I'm going to give him Nightmares." Sighing, Sarutobi stopped any further trouble by informing team 7 of the mission parameters.

"Tazuna is a well-known bridge builder, and will need an escort back to the land of Waves…"

* * *

"So…what the hell was that?" Team 7 and the their client were currently on the road to Wave country, Tazuna safely in the center of their travel formation. Hearing the bridge builder's question, Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha novel.

"What was what?" The Jounin asked, sounding amused.

"That!" Tazuna spat quietly, pointing at Naruto. "The thing with the sword. How'd he do that?" Kakashi shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. Naruto found the sword in one of the most secured locations in Konoha. It is special, and only Naruto really knows anything about it. It teaches him things, displays odd traits. It seems to have increased his aggressiveness, so I would suggest not provoking him. It ends badly." Tazuna cast a nervous gaze at the blond as Sakura spoke up.

"Sensei, why are we escorting Tazuna? Doesn't the land of Waves have a ninja village?" Kakashi sighed. Why couldn't just let him the enjoy the perfection that was Icha Icha?

"No, they don't. Ninja villages, like Konoha, represent an aspect of military might. All Daimyo's each have a standing army, mostly composed of Samurai. It's a requirement for being a Daimyo since like any leader you can't BE a leader without someway of enforcing your less popular laws. A ninja village, on the other hand, is more akin to the 'special forces' of a country's military forces. A ninja village requires considerable backing in order to remain hidden, and that's not even thinking about the sort of capitol that it takes to fund to the start up of a ninja village. So, only the larger, stronger, and wealthier countries can start and maintain a ninja force. The land of Waves doesn't qualify." Enlightenment flashed across Sakura's face.

"So that's why he came to us?"

"Basically." Kakashi agreed, taking note of the puddle in the middle of the road, despite a lack of recent rain.

At the front of the pack of traveling ninja plus client, Naruto was deep in thought while communicating with Black Mirage. The sword was quizzing him on its abilities and special techniques. As sword and wielder passed the puddle in the road, Mirage stirred.

"_Did I miss it raining lately?_" Naruto blinked.

"_No, why?_" Mirage sighed. Naruto's ability to actually think was improving, but the boy had years of thick-minded obnoxiousness to overcome.

"_Puddle in the road. No rain. Think like a genjutsu master; details, boy!_" Naruto cast a look back at the puddle, thinking about what the sword said.

"_So…it's an illusion? If it is, then what's it hiding?_"

"_An explosive, an attacker, something._" Stopping, Naruto reached into his ammo pouch and withdrew a kunai and an exploding tag. Wrapping the tag around the handle, Naruto turned and lifted his arm.

"You guys might want to move." Eyes wide, team 7 scattered, Kakashi grabbing Tazuna. The sizzling tag and kunai hit the puddle as a pair of ninja with odd garb and slashed Hidden Mist forehead protectors appeared from its depths. Wearing blade-claw gauntlets on opposing hands connected by a chain made of razor-edged links, the two nuke-nin tried running from the explosion but took too long releasing their ambush technique.

_BOOM!_

Reeling from being caught next to the explosion, neither ninja put up much struggle when Kakashi took them down. A solid hit the back of both ninjas head knocked them out. Clucking his tongue, Kakashi brought out a spool of ninja wire proceeded to tie up both men. "I was hoping to confirm who they were after, but good job spotting them, Naruto. The tag might have been a bit much though…" Naruto scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

"Well, it's not like I know how to dispel someone else's genjutsu. I had to go with what I know." Kakashi made a mental note to teach Naruto genjutsu disruption techniques ASAP before turning to Tazuna.

"Well, given that I'm a Jounin and my genin aren't exactly high priority targets, I'm going to assume that the Demon Brothers were after you Tazuna-san."

"Demon Brothers?" Sakura asked, recovering from her scare about this whole situation.

"They're Chuunin nuke-nin from Hidden Mist. They specialize is tandem tactics and assassination. If they are here though, there will be more coming. These guys never work alone." Kakashi turned and stared hard at an already nervous Tazuna. "Just who did you piss off Tazuna-san?" The bridge builder sighed, deciding that he wasn't going to be able to hide this any longer.

"Gatoh, of Gatoh Corporation. He's trying to kill me before I can finish the bridge." Sakura's nose scrunched up as she looked puzzled.

"Why would anyone want to kill you for building a bridge?"

"Because," Tazuna sighed "he's trying to keep us from freeing ourselves." Seeing the blank looks on the ninja's faces, Tazuna continued. "A year back, a businessman named Gatoh came to Wave and started buying companies. Once he owned most of them, he started using strong-arm tactics to drive everyone else out of business. All too soon, Gatoh owned just about everything. He's been crushing us into nothing ever since. Nobody knows what he's doing." Tazuna's fists clenched. "What kind of CEO buys everything and then runs into the ground! But…my bridge could change all of that. It'll be a fresh source of hope and income." Kakashi coughed lightly.

"That's nice…but you lied about the mission ranking." Tazuna sweat dropped. He'd really hoped they would have forgotten that during his speech.

"I had too. Wave is super poor thanks to Gatoh. Even the Daimyo couldn't have afforded a more expensive mission and still finished the bridge." Kakashi popped his neck and sighed.

"Be that as it may, you falsely reported mission parameters and you got a severely underpowered team for this mission. We're going to have to return to Konoha." Tazuna decided that it was time to go for the soft underbelly.

"Sure sure, I understand. I'll just continue on alone, and Gatoh will kill me for trying to free Wave from his tyrannical grasp. My poor daughter will cry for days and my grandson will hate Konoha forever, but you got to do what you got to do. Goodbye ninja…goodbye world." Waving his hand dramatically, Tazuna started down the road to Wave. Fidgeting uncomfortably, Kakashi looked at his genin, who were all staring at him…intently. Kakashi flinched.

"God _damnit_."

* * *

"Thanks again guys for changing your minds." '_Total victory!_'

Kakashi glared at his genin who either smirked or smiled. Tazuna and team 7 were at the moment being ferried across the strip of ocean that separated Wave from the mainland. Their ferryman was a scrawny, and very nervous fellow, telling them to shut up anytime one of them spoke. As Wave slowly became visible through the thick fog surrounding it, the ferryman seemed less nervous, but he was still obviously not happy with transporting them. The moment they hit land, he ushered them off his boat and then took off as soon as they were all off of it. Ignoring the man's rudeness, team 7 set off through Wave towards Tazuna's house, on another shore of the country. The group traveled in silence, slightly freaked out by the fog. Kakashi was merely tense, more used to this kind of thing, but still…

'_There is someone out there. It seems the Demon Brother's back up arrived faster then I expected. I wonder if my genin have noticed yet?_'

As if answering the unspoken question, Naruto snatched a kunai from his ammo pouch and whipped into the foliage to his left. Ignoring Sakura's shout about Naruto being stupid and a show off, the blond rushed after the kunai, reaching towards his chest. Then, he froze. "What the hell…a rabbit?" Swearing mentally, Kakashi followed his student, fairly sure he knew what had happened since he felt something from the bushes too. Where Naruto was looking was a badly shaken rabbit with pure white fur. "What the Hell! What's a rabbit doing here? I could have swore I felt killing intent." Although curious about how Naruto knew what killing intent felt like, he was more concerned about the rabbit.

"That's a snow rabbit." The Jounin murmured out loud. Sakura and Sasuke looked at the man curiously, wondering why he was so distracted by a rabbit. They were just plain startled when he jerked upright and turned to the right side of the road.

"Down, Incoming!" The genin hit the deck(Kakashi tackled Tazuna) as an enormous sword spun the air with enough speed and power to generate a deep thrumming with its passing. Buzzing low over team 7 and Tazuna, the sword swerved back up and embedded high up into a tree on the left side of the road. A moment later, a large muscular man wearing a grey harness, Mist ANBU pants, and bandages concealing the bottom half of his face landed on the flat of the sword. The man laughed, crouching on his sword.

"Look at this! I came to find out why those bumbling idiots are late and who do I find but Copy-cat Kakashi! It's going to be a real honor to kill the man they say has stolen a 1000 techniques." Bracing one foot on the tree, the man tugged his sword free and fell to the ground, catching the over-sized blade over his back without harm. "Tell you what Kakashi, give me the old man and I'll let your snot-nosed brats run home with their tails between their legs."

"Zabuza Momochi, the Devil of the Hidden Mist. That's a very generous offer Zabuza, but I'm going to have to decline." Kakashi reached for his forehead protector, shifting it up off of his eye. "Team 7, guard Tazuna, don't let Zabuza get to him!" Zabuza perked up.

"Oh, unleashing the Sharingan so early? I feel honored." Sasuke's head snapped towards his teacher.

'_Kakashi has the Sharingan! How does anybody but an Uchiha have the Sharingan?_' Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He was _definitely_ going to have to look into this.

"Now then, let's get started." Zabuza raised his hands in an odd seal. "Kirigakure no Jutsu(Hidden Mist Technique)." The already thick fog increased until it was like a heavy soup. Condensation instantly beaded on all available surfaces. The sudden increase in the fog was promptly followed by a voice and a massive killing intent.

"Eight points…" Zabuza's voice echoed out of the fog "the larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. All lethal points. Tell me, how do you want to die?"

"Don't listen to him!" Kakashi shouted. "Zabuza is a master of silent killing. If you panic at all, he will kill you before realize that you're dead. Besides…" he said, flaring his chakra so powerfully it blew back the fog, revealing a pond nearby "I won't allow anyone on my team to die." Zabuza laughed.

"Too bad I'm going to make a liar out of you!" In a blur of speed, Zabuza appeared, ready to cleave through the genin and Tazuna. "Die!" Kakashi took off like a shot, planning to stab the man in the gut before he could swing. Long before the Leaf Jounin made it, Naruto thrust his palm at Zabuza.

"Eat this asshole!" In a bright flash of light, Black Mirage formed in the blonde's hand, plunging deep into the nuke-nin's torso. Kakashi petered to a stop, surprised. He hadn't thought Naruto would have reacted that fast. The impaled Zabuza gurgled, before bursting into water and soaking the ground. Kakashi swore as the genin looked on, shocked.

"Ohh." Zabuza said from the fog, sounding amused. "So one of the brats has a sword? Where did you get it boy, out of your father's closet?" Although he wasn't showing it, Zabuza was rather interested in where the blond had been hiding the blade. He could see some nice uses for that little trick.

Naruto growled into the mist. "I earned this sword you eyebrow-less freak. Why don't _I_ show you how?" Letting loose with his own not-inconsiderable burst of killing intent, Naruto's form shimmered and he stepped into the mist, invisible. Kakashi and Zabuza both wore identical expressions of shock, though they couldn't see it. After a moment, Kakashi allowed himself a chuckle. He of all people knew how effective copying people was at throwing them off their game. Zabuza's reaction was considerably less…reasonable.

'_What the fuck! That brat is a genjutsu/kenjutsu user! Who the hell taught him that?_' Calming down, Zabuza focused on his hearing, planning on spitting the brat the moment he heard something.

Back with Kakashi and Tazuna, Sasuke and Sakura were both a hair's breath away from screaming in utter terror. Zabuza, Kakashi, and now Naruto, all throwing their killing intent around? It was liking being an extra in a slasher movie and knowing you were going to get axed to increase dramatic tension.

'_I…I can't stand this!_' Sasuke thought, trembling and reaching for a kunai. '_I have to get away from this, even if I have to kill myself!_' Raising the kunai to his throat, Sasuke was about to slit his own throat when Kakashi spoke up, moving closer to Tazuna and the two remaining genin.

"It's alright Sasuke. You'll be fine as long as I'm here. Naruto is in the mist, watching out for all of us." It took some more comforting, but Sasuke lowered the kunai, but continued to shiver. He was still better then Sakura, who had completely shut down in fear. The girl wasn't even twitching. '_Shit. I forgot how badly some genin respond to killing intent the first few times they get hit with it. Naruto is holding up surprisingly well. Maybe I could get him to help me build up his teammates resistance._'

Out in the mist, Zabuza was discovering some grudging respect for the blond brat. The Devil of the Mist still hadn't heard the brat make a sound and the little shit had almost tagged him once! '_If this little bastard had been in Mist when I left, I would taken him as my apprentice in a heartbeat. I can't drag this out forever, maintaining the mist will drain me eventually. Guess I'm going to have to risk it. Good thing I've got a back-up plan._' Sneaking towards his target, Zabuza readied himself and his trap. "Surprise Kakashi!" Lunging out of the mist, Zabuza went on the full attack, knowing the brat was coming for him. A lightning fast exchange between his Head Cleaver and Kakashi's kunai took place, ending with Zabuza using the weight his blade to force the Leaf Jounin into a poor stance before lashing out with a kick that hurled the Copy-nin into the pond. Racing after the Jounin Zabuza felt a light sting across his back. '_He actually tagged me. Not bad for a little genin._' Appearing over Kakashi who was noting the unexpected weight of the water in the pond, Zabuza held out a hand, the other in a seal.

"Suirou no Jutsu(Water Prison Technique)!" A large bubble of water formed around Kakashi, arresting all movement. Chuckling, Zabuza allowed the mist to dissipate. Tazuna and Sasuke stared in horror at the trapped Leaf Jounin. Sakura twitched heavily, struggling to come out of the killing intent induced bodily lock-down. Forming a water clone, Zabuza sent it right at Tazuna. "Your little blond friend showed some promise, but it's over now brats!"

"Run!" Kakashi shouted. "Take Tazuna and get out of here!"

"I don't think so!" The water clone shouted, charging Sasuke. A moment before it got in swinging range, it was sliced in half by something unseen. As Zabuza swore, Naruto's voiced echoed out of the trees in the same way that Zabuza's had earlier.

"Sasuke. I'll cover you. Fireball that asshole." Grinning evilly, Sasuke raced to the edge the pond and started flashing through seals. Cursing, Zabuza tried to form another water clone but the thing was sliced before it even finished forming.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu(Great Fireball Technique)!" Dropping his water prison, Zabuza raced away from the flames as Kakashi recovered and smiled at his students.

"Thank you boys. You'd better get back though; the time for playing around is over now." Turning to face Zabuza, Kakashi set himself in a ready stance. Eyeing the distance between each other, both Jounin started forming hand seals at the same time.

"Suiryuudan no Jutsu(Water Dragon Projectile Technique)!" Roaring, twin dragons rose from the pond and lunged. Biting on to each other, the techniques struggled for dominance shortly before collapsing.

"Damn it! The whole lot of you are really starting to piss me off!" Starting another round of seals, Zabuza noted bitterly that Kakashi was once again performing the same seals at the same speed as him. '_Talk about monkey see monkey do! What am I going to…!_' "Gurk!"

The 'Gurk', was Zabuza suddenly finding his entire world upside down and backwards. His entire perception was shot, and shifting lights burned into his eyes, stunning him. It was one of the most disorienting genjutsu that the nuke-nin had ever been put in, and it worked like a charm. Zabuza was shakily attempting the last few seals when he heard Kakashi shout the name of the technique that both Jounin had been forming.

"Daibakufu no Jutsu(Grand Waterfall Technique)!"

"Aw shit…" Zabuza managed weakly before the jutsu slammed into him like a tidal wave. Carried helplessly in its current, Zabuza was pounded into a tree trunk with almost crippling force, driving the air from his lungs. Gasping, he struggled to recover as Kakashi appeared and twirled a kunai into his hand.

"This is it for you, Devil." Giving a short wheezing laugh, Zabuza looked up at Kakashi.

"Maybe." He whispered. "But at least I got to see that my style will live on." Nodding in acknowledgement Kakashi prepared to throw.

_Thwip thwip!_

Kakashi blinked, surprised by the sudden appearance of senbon in Zabuza's throat as the Devil of the Mist himself fell over looking shocked. As Kakashi's students and Tazuna came over, a single hunter nin wearing Hidden Mist Insignia came out of hiding and crouched over Zabuza'a body.

"Thank you all for weakening Zabuza. He would have been impossible for me to take down on my own." The hunter nin spoke with a very soft and sweet voice, obviously young, not short. A fact that no one missed, not even Sakura who was recovering now that the killing intent was gone.

"No problem Hunter-san. Glad to help out, right my little genin?" The genin just sort of stared of the hunter nin, not sure what to say. Naruto wanted to get in the hunter's face about taking team 7's kill, but was busying trying to get Black Mirage to stop bitching about fame-stealing sneak-thieves.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to dispose of the body." Grabbing Zabuza and the man's sword, the hunter-nin disappeared in a Mizu Shunshin. Waiting a moment to take sure the hunter-nin was gone, Kakashi dropped to the ground with a groan. Using a trembling hand to re-cover his Sharingan eye, Kakashi turned his head to his students.

"I'm going to need help getting to Tazuna's house." '_Obito's eye is so helpful, but it eats chakra like nothing else, especially when I use it to hypnotize someone from that range._' Ignoring his student's grumbles, Kakashi allowed himself to be dragged away.

* * *

"Tsunami, I'm home!" Head snapping up, a woman in her twenties was relieved to see her father walk in the front door.

"Father! You're back!" As she walked to the door to hug him, Tsunami noted the barely-conscious grey haired man being carried by a blond with the strangest clothes she'd ever seen and followed by dark-haired and -eyed boy in equally dark clothing next to a pink-haired girl wearing red and white. "Father," she asked slowly "who are these people?" Tazuna beamed.

"Ninja from Konoha! They escorted me all the way here and they saved my life from a couple of Gatoh's hired assassins!" Tsunami's eyes widened in shock before she turned and bowed to the ninja.

"Thank you for saving my father." Kakashi half raised a hand in a poor wave, too tired to manage anything more. Rolling his eyes, Naruto addressed the Lady of the house.

"Do you have somewhere I can put him? He's getting heavy." Giggling in amusement at the put-upon look that Kakashi managed, Tsunami lead the ninja to the guest rooms upstairs. After telling them where all the important, day-to-day things were, she left them to themselves. After the door closed, Kakashi fixed his student with a firm look.

"Zabuza isn't dead."

"WHAT!" Naruto winced badly after Sakura's startled screech, Black Mirage was going ape-shit inside his head.

"Sakura…please don't do that. It makes me want to kill you." Cutting off any argument with a glare and a quick shot of killing intent, Kakashi continued.

"I was thinking about it the whole way here. That hunter-nin should have dealt with Zabuza's body right there. Since they didn't…"

"He's not a hunter-nin. Probably one of Zabuza's minions." Sasuke scowled as he said the last part. Just dealing with Zabuza alone had been unsettling enough. Add in another attacker…

Kakashi nodded. "Starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach you all a technique. Get some rest tonight and try not to worry our hosts. I'll inform Tazuna about this tomorrow in private. Dismissed."

* * *

In a small clearing, a masked 'hunter-nin' hummed softly as they unrolled a specialized medical kit. Grabbing a pair of scissors, the masked figured went to cut through the bandages around Zabuza's mouth. Their hand was stopped when Zabuza's shot up and grabbed the hunter-nin's wrist.

"Do you always have to hit me in the neck? It leaves me achy every damn time." The hunter-nin giggled.

"The neck has less muscles Zabuza-sama, so it's easier to hit the right points. Besides, you know I hate scarring your body." Zabuza ignored the teasing tone that his minion took on at that last comment. Haku talked a good game, but was rarely able to follow through.

"Well, did you get anything?"

"Yes, Zabuza-sama. I believe I know how you could counter Copy-cat Kakashi. I'm sorry that I don't have anything for the blond boy; he was gone before I realized what was happening." Zabuza grunted.

"Doesn't matter. Tell me your plan."

* * *

Breakfast was…interesting to say the least. At the morning meal, team 7 was introduced to Tsunami's son, Inari. Inari was a young boy who somehow carried an aura of doom and gloom more intense then what usually followed Sasuke around. After eating, Kakashi took Tazuna to one side and explained that Zabuza wasn't dead. Tazuna, fearing for his family, had told Tsunami and Inari to be careful, that some of Gatoh's assassins were still running around. Tsunami had gasped in fright and Inari, to the surprise of the ninja, just snorted something that sounded like 'of course he does'. Still, it wasn't their problem, and the ninja soon headed outside to begin training. Using a cane as support, Kakashi lead them a short ways into the trees before turning to face his students.

"Today, I'm going to teach you to climb trees." Seeing the disbelieving looks, Kakashi decided to clarify. "Without your hands." Channeling just a bit of chakra, Kakashi walked a short way up and then back down the tree trunk. The Jounin chuckled a bit seeing their gob-smacked expressions. "Tree-walking is considered a basic chakra control exercise, and a primer for water-walking like you saw me and Zabuza doing. The trick to tree climbing is to gather chakra at the soles of your feet." Producing three kunai, he tossed them at his student's feet. "Use this to mark your progress. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play invalid." As soon as Kakashi limped out of sight the three genin grabbed the kunai and got started. The surprise of both boys, Sakura was able to successfully climb to the top of her tree in two tries. Feeling irked, Sasuke and Naruto took to the practice with real fervor. Feeling bored, Sakura hung around to cheer on her crush.

* * *

_SLAM!_

Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, and Kakashi all looked up as the genin of team 7 stormed into the living room in time for dinner. Well, Sasuke stormed anyways. Sakura and Naruto followed him at more sedate paces. The pinkette was looking nervous and a little worked up, Naruto just looked smug.

"Oh, done already?"

"Me and Sakura are." Naruto said, shooting a smirk at Sasuke, who clenched his fists in anger. "Heck, if you show us a few more techniques, I bet I could take down Gatoh's thugs single-handily!" Naruto laughed, obviously joking, but Inari didn't quite take it that way.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You think you can laugh about Gatoh, but he's going to kill you all!" Naruto snorted.

"As if I'd die that easily."

"You will! You'll die just like everyone else who tried to play hero. You're nothing a loud-mouth idiot who's going to die when Gatoh sees you!" Inari was vent some serious issues with his speech, making everyone but Naruto feel uncomfortable. "I don't even know why you think you're here, it's not like a bunch of stupid ninja would care or understand how we're suffering!" Kakashi winced as he watched Inari stumble on one of Naruto's button and mash the hell out of it.

_CRACK!_

Bringing his fist down, Naruto smashed the dinner table in half without really realizing it. The blond and his sword were both furious at this mewling brat, their deep-seeded agreement boosting Naruto's abilities. As Black Mirage snarled at Inari for insulting them, Naruto decided that the boy needed a little lesson on the realities of life.

"You're just a spoiled little brat, aren't you?" Although they all knew it was Naruto talking, it did NOT sound like him. If was far too low and dangerous. A predator's purr. "You think that just because things look bad, you can throw yourself a pity-party and have everyone kiss your ass, is that it? Well I got news for you; your life is a fuckin' _vacation_ compared to my childhood. You have a family that loves you, a home to come to, and all the support you could want." Naruto's chakra began to burn in his fury, becoming plainly visible to all and sundry.

"Holy Kami…" Sakura breathed, having never realized that Naruto had THAT much chakra.

"I've never meet my parents, I don't even know their names or what they look like and probably never will. When I was 4, I got kicked out of the orphanage for 'being a monster'. I lived on the streets for a month before our village leader realized I was missing. I've lived by myself, _been_ all alone, ever since, surrounded by people who hate me for something that happened the day I was born." Naruto raised his head and everyone, including Kakashi, gasped upon seeing that the blond eyes were now slit like a cat's and that his iris had been replaced by a swirling rainbow of color. "Do you have any fucking idea, brat, what it's like to look at a crowd and know that every single person you can see wants you to die? I do. I've know what that's like since I was 5, before I ever set foot in the Academy and started on my ninja path." Suppressing a full-out snarl, Naruto turned and stalked out the door, firing one last comment over his shoulder as he went. "Piss and moan all you want, Inari. I'll be around, working my ass off to make my life a better place."

An awkward silence filled the house after Naruto's departure, until Sakura worked up the nerve to ask her teacher a question.

"Sensei…why did Naruto say all that?" Kakashi huffed, but didn't dare ignore her. The last thing the village(and Naruto) needed was someone poking into the blonde's past.

"Because…it's true. Naruto has had a very harsh life, and has been almost completely alone for most of it. I wouldn't suggest that either of you pry into it. Naruto is very private about certain things, and his past is one of the few things that sets him off, in a nasty way." Sasuke weighed in on the conversation, allowing only hints of curiosity into his voice.

"What did he mean when he said that people hated him for something that happened the day he was born?" Kakashi looked to Heavens for strength, forgetting that there were civilians in the room before answering.

"Naruto was born the day the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha. He was born at the worst time, and sometimes, sometimes people just need something to hate."

Nobody talked after that.

* * *

Deep in the woods, Naruto raged, Black Mirage in hand. Screaming and howling to the sky, the two attacked everything in sight. Mirage's razor edge cut through the thickest of trees and knottiest of brush-tangles while flashes of translucent blue flame scorched the earth and stones. Stumbling into a natural clearing, Naruto and Black Mirage let go of their anger in a final burst, a wave of blue flames reducing everything to sooty shambles.

* * *

**Author's Note: **It seems that I won't be producing long chapters for this story after all, but at least I getting somewhere. Yes, Naruto has slightly better chakra control here. It comes from practicing building visual constructs through Black Mirage. Once again, you'll note quite a few scene changes and alterations. I want a slightly darker telling of Naruto for this story, if only because Black Mirage has NEVER been a nice sword. I'm not going to go to that cliché of Naruto getting the crap beaten out of him night and day that seems so prevalent in Naruto fan fiction.

There are other ways of making a child suffer people! Be original!

Anyways, love it, hate it, I'm still going to write it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Who stole my stash! When I find the dumb fuck who stole my Dreamweed, I'm going to melt their brains with illusions!" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

Humming softly, Haku strolled through the woods of Wave with a serene smile dancing on the face of the faux-hunter-nin. The sun shined brightly, bringing cheer to the oppressed island, and luring out the woodland creatures whose frolicking delighted the gentle-natured teen. Following the flight of a small sparrow that had caught Haku's attention, the teen eventually came across an unexpected scene; an ugly scar of a clearing carved into the forest with fire. Gasping in shock at the sheer devastation done to the area, Haku's herb basket hit the ground. Shinobi trained gaze taking in everything, Haku's eyes soon fell upon the cause of this destruction. Tensing slightly, Haku stalked into the clearing towards the culprit. It was, Haku noted, one the boys from the genin team, the blonde one who was a budding kenjutsu master. Zabuza-sama seemed to think he was anyways, and Haku had no evidence against Zabuza-sama's theory. Kneeling next to the boy to get answers for the damage to the clearing, Haku noticed that the boy's strange but well-made sword was not nearby. Carefully, Haku reached out.

"Ninja-san, wake up." The boy started awake, one fist swinging wildly. Haku dodged it, amused. Zabuza-sama tended to do the same thing when he woke up…only with his Cleaver in hand. Haku waited patiently as the boy finished waking up before talking again. "Ninja-san, why are you sleeping out here? Won't you catch a cold?" Naruto rubbed his eyes, shaking his head.

"No, I'll be fine miss. What are you doing out here so early?" Haku's smile widened.

"Oh, I was picking herbs to help my sick friend ninja-san, when I saw what happened to the clearing." Naruto winced.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was pretty upset about something last night, and one of my powers kinda…got away from me." Naruto paused as something occurred to him. Inclining his head towards Haku, Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, what's yours?" Haku giggled, stunning Naruto who thought it was one of the sweetest and gentlest sounds he'd ever heard. Mirage chuckled, quietly.

"I'm Haku. Tell me Uzumaki-san, why were you upset, if you don't mind me asking?" Naruto flashed Haku an uncomfortable smile.

"It's a bit personal, Haku. I'd rather not talk about it. Tell you what though." The blonde said, rising to his feet and offering a hand to Haku. "I'll escort you where you need to go, as a thanks for checking on me." Haku giggled again.

"Thank you Naruto-san." The two chatted as they walked, Naruto doing most the talking. Haku was pleased to let him do so, subtly guiding the conversation to learn the most possible about Zabuza-sama's enemies. Despite Haku's disarming appearances and manner of speech, Zabuza's tool was not skilled enough conversational to avoid arousing suspicion from the ancient sword sharing room in Naruto's head.

'_You realize that this little beauty is pumping you for information, right?_' Naruto frowned, surprising Haku.

'_She is not! She's just curious about ninjas._' Mirage scoffed.

'_While I'm pleased that you're seeking companionship with someone _other _then the harpy, she's digging for something. It wouldn't be the first time someone sent a pretty face to finish what the brutes failed at._'

Naruto shot a sideways look at the girl at his side, suddenly reminded that Zabuza had just recently tried to kill them and their client. Haku noticed the change in the atmosphere between them and began getting ready for a quick retreat. Still, Naruto said and did nothing, quietly following Haku as the kimono-clad youth gathered various herbs. The older teen eyed the blonde wondering if he would recognize the actual purpose of the herbs Haku was gathering, but Naruto knew nothing about plants except a few edible species, and Mirage's knowledge was limited to the herbs and plants that had mind-influencing effects. Finally finishing, Haku stood and brushed off a few clinging pieces of debris. "Thank you for watching out for me, Uzumaki-san." Naruto grunted noncommittally, still turning over Mirage's comments in his head. Haku began to walk away, pausing only at the edge of the small, undamaged clearing they had found. "By the way Uzumaki-san, I'm a boy." Gaping at Haku, who was walking away giggling, Naruto barely heard Mirage laughing.

'_Bwa-hahaha, damn it's been a long time since I've seen a trap that skilled!_'

* * *

"Sensei, shouldn't we look for Naruto now? I know he's an idiot, but he IS a Konoha ninja; we stick to together right?" Kakashi sighed. Sakura meant well, he knew, but hearing her ask that question again and again was starting to work his nerves. Maybe the nerves of everyone else too if the looks that Tazuna and Tsunami were sending the pinkette's way were any indication.

"Sakura." The Jounin started. "Naruto will be fine. Given how angry he was when he left here yesterday, I actually pity any one who bothers him right now."

Sakura looked outside nervously at falling dusk, almost 24 hours after Naruto had stormed out of the house. "Still…"

Sasuke grunted, handling his bowl and chopsticks with hands that shook lightly from the amount of chakra he had expelled practicing earlier. "The do…Naruto will be fine, Sakura. We both know how creatively vindictive he can be when he's mad, even before he found that damn sword. Stop bothering us about him." As Sakura finally settled down, Sasuke's own thoughts stewed. It was harder then he thought to stop addressing Naruto as the 'Dead-last', but the blonde had proven without doubt that he didn't wear that title anymore. Since finding the sword, Naruto had become powerful enough, fast enough to unsettle the last Uchiha in Konoha, but he comforted himself with thoughts of his own rise once his Sharingan activated. Everyone was pulled from their thoughts when the front door banged open and Naruto slumped in, looking frustrated. Spying everyone gathered around the table, Naruto headed over.

"Kakashi-sensei. That hunter-nin that was working with Zabuza, would you say that they're about this tall and feminine?" Naruto held his hand flat, a little above his head to demonstrate the right height. Kakashi blinked with the rest of the table, wondering why Naruto was asking.

"Yes…that sounds right, why?"

"Nothing." Naruto said quickly. "I'm going to go upstairs and go to sleep Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi quirked an eyebrow.

"Ooh, not hungry?" The blonde waved it off, mounting the stairs.

"Nah, I ate already. Oh, and don't worry, but I'm going to be training with Mirage while we wait for Zabuza to recover."

Kakashi hummed. "What if I had some training planned?" Naruto paused, shooting a disbelieving look over his shoulder before bursting into laughter. The blonde staggered up the stairs and out of sight, laughing the whole way. At the table Sasuke and Sakura looked at Kakashi knowingly. The Jounin ignored them.

'_Well that was rather rude of the little bastard._'

* * *

The next few days passed quietly for all sides. Gatoh and his men caused little trouble for the people of Wave. The business man was waiting for Zabuza and his pet freak to make their move, so the grubby and greedy dwarf could make HIS move. Not that the two missing ninja knew it. Zabuza was healing quickly, making plans for an assault on the bridge while Haku loyally watched over him. Team 7 was busier.

Sasuke had mastered tree climbing, making it to the top of any of the local trees with out problem. Sakura neglected continuing her tree climbing practice, having given no thought to the benefits it would have on her chakra stamina. Once Sasuke and Sakura could perform the exercise without screwing up, Kakashi moved on to Taijutsu practice and polishing their kunai and shuriken throwing skills, touching up the basic combat skills of the students that were present. Naruto was behaving like a ghost, making Team 7 and Tazuna's family nervous. The blonde appeared only to sleep, and almost never ate at the house, always claiming that he'd eaten elsewhere. As the days passed, Kakashi and Zabuza both recovered. Once the Leaf Jounin finished healing up, he went on edge, knowing that Zabuza was soon to follow. The day Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke headed out with Tazuna to guard the man, and Naruto still slumbered away upstairs, the experienced Jounin knew, instinctively, that it was The Day. As the bridge builder and bodyguards disappeared around the bend of the road, Kakashi chuckled, surprising his company.

'_Let's see what you've been up to, Naruto._'

* * *

Singing an old folk song under her breath, Tsunami washed the morning dishes with the ease of long practice. While the mother of one could feel the tension that lay lightly on the ninjas guarding her father, Tsunami was actually quite relaxed herself. Gatoh's goons hadn't been in town for a while and with ninja around, the civilian couldn't help but think that everything would be ok. Once her father's bridge was finished, Gatoh's stranglehold on Wave would be ruined and their country would recover. Tsunami was just finishing the last few notes of her song when the front door was hacked into four pieces. Shrieking in surprise, Tsunami whirled to see two of Gatoh's favorite hired goons stepping in the doorway with cruel smirks on their faces and katanas in hand.

"That's the bitch the boss wants right? The bridge builder's daughter?" The smaller, silver-haired thug nodded, bored.

"Yeah, that's her. Grab her." The more heavily scarred thug grinned and licked his lips.

"You know, the only thing I got to cut up on the way over here was just a stupid pig. Since the boss wants you alive, I can't cut ya. But…I wouldn't mind if ya entertained us in another way." Tsunami shuddered, the goon's obvious intent to rape her sending waves of terror up and down her spine. Backing away from the men, Tsunami prepared to run out the backdoor and for help when her plans were abruptly ruined.

"Mom, what's happening?" Tsunami froze, spotting her son at the base of the stairs.

'_Inari, no! Why didn't you hide!_'

"He he he…" The scarred goon chuckled. "Well, whatcha know, the boss didn't say anything about the brat. I'm going to cut him good!" Tsunami thought furiously. Inari was too old and heavy for her to carry to the bridge, and too young and slow to outrun Gatoh's men. If she went with them to save her son, the men would…would…

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Luckily, desperation is necessity's cousin. Seeing Inari standing on the foot of the stairs sparked a memory and an idea. Acting on it before the situation got any worse, Tsunami darted to her son, surprising the goons as she grabbed Inari and ran up the stairs, screaming.

The thugs stared. What the hell was the bitch thinking, running to the second floor. What was she going to do, crawl out a window?

* * *

Naruto stirred when he heard a woman shriek downstairs. Grunting, the blonde forced himself to his feet, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. "Ugh, what's going on?" More screaming and rapid thumping caught his attention, injecting a little awareness into his veins. "Huh?" With a crash, Tsunami burst through the bedroom door, clutching Inari.

"Naruto-san! Gatoh's thugs are here, help us!" Swearing, Naruto reached for his chest just as the bedroom door flew open again.

"Gotcha, bitch! You're going to suck our cocks for making us chase you, whore!" Naruto's eyes went flat, and he pushed Tsunami and Inari behind him.

"Close your eyes you two. I'll going to take care of them." Tsunami obeyed, clasping one of her hands across Inari's eyes. Either way, she didn't want him to see how this ended.

The two thugs laughed, stepping apart. "You're a ballsy little runt, but just how do you plan on taking us on?" Naruto snarled, eyes flashing as he reached into his chest.

"Like this, you bastards!"

_Schlunk! Shlurk!_

ThumpThump

Tsunami murmured comforting words to her son, as the boy whimpered. No doubt the sickening sounds of a man being stabbed and sliced were bringing up memories of Kaiza's death. Silence reined in the room for a short time before the sound of cloth being torn and wiped over something reached Tsunami's ears. Opening her eyes, Tsunami was confronted with the sight of Gatoh's men lying lifelessly on the floor, their blood pouring from clean stab wounds on their chests. Naruto stood above them, cleaning his sword with what looked to be part of the silver-haired swordsman's shirt. The woman caught the look in the young blonde's eyes and shuddered. They were cold and furious, flecks of different colors dancing through his crystal-blue orbs. Seeing the movement, Naruto sighed.

"I'm sorry for making a mess in your house Tsunami-san…but I don't like rapists." Tsunami stared as Naruto finished cleaning his sword. Dropping the ripped cloth, Naruto ducked down and grabbed a pouch from his bedside. "Tsunami-san, I'm going to check on my Team at the bridge, ok? Do you think you can make it to a friends house and hide?" Tsunami nodded.

"Yes Naruto-kun, we'll take one of the older, hidden paths. We'll be fine, thanks to you." Naruto smiled brightly, ignoring the fact that some of the spilling blood was starting to stain his sandals.

"Your welcome. Don't worry about that bastard Gatoh, after this, I'm going to take care of him myself." With that, Naruto turned and disappeared down the stairs. Once he was gone, Tsunami was quick to act, heading downstairs and away from the house, being sure to continue shielding Inari's eyes until the dead men weren't in sight anymore.

* * *

Hidden in a tree at the very edge of Tazuna's lawn, Kakashi watched as Naruto rushed out of the house, wrapping bandages around his limbs as he ran. Less then a minute later, Tsunami fled the house on one the lesser-used footpaths nearby, carrying her son. Both looked shaken, but unharmed. Sighing, Kakashi, or at least a Kage Bushin(Shadow Clone) of him slipped into the house to figure out what had happened before following and protecting the client's family.

* * *

The moment Team 7 and Tazuna got in sight of the bridge, Kakashi knew his battle-honed instincts had been right. Scattered across the bridge were the corpses of what few workers had stayed on Tazuna's project despite Gatoh's scare tactics, having paid for their bravery and determination with death. Bowing his head in a moment of silence for the loyal souls, Kakashi noted that his two present genin and Tazuna seemed shocked into utter silence. Not surprising. Sakura and Tazuna had never seen such things, and Sasuke was no doubt recalling the horrors haunting his past. Stepping past them, Kakashi raised his hand to his Leaf Emblem/eye patch, ready to slide it up at a moment's notice.

"Zabuza, you could just have just scared them off." A deep chuckle echoed over the oceanfront as Zabuza and his subordinate stepped out the mist that was thickening around the area.

"Maybe." The Devil of the Mist agreed, smirking behind his bandages. "But I was bored, and my contract with that worm Gatoh includes the stalling of the construction of this bridge. Happy coincidence, right?"

"Monster." Sakura whispered, terrified.

"Zabuza-sama." The masked ninja spoke, their soft voice carried to Team 7 only by the acoustics of the area. "The blonde one is missing, and the pink- and dark-haired ones are shaking." Sasuke snarled.

"I'm not shaking in fear, but _excitement_!" Zabuza let out a rough laugh as the masked ninja tilted their head slightly.

"I didn't mention anything about fear, ninja-san." Only Kakashi's voice kept a furious Sasuke from hurling kunai at the implied insult.

"Oh, Naruto? He's just taking care of other business, as am I." Everyone looked at the Jounin, surprised at the comment, but he merely smiled mysteriously and gestured to Tazuna. "Sakura, guard our client. Sasuke, take care of Zabuza's assistant please." Zabuza chuckled again, looking at his living tool.

"Can you handle him, Haku?" The now named masked ninja nodded lightly.

"Of course, Zabuza-sama. Do not worry about him." Zabuza grinned, making a single, practiced gesture.

"Let me set the stage then."

A moment later, a half-dozen water clones formed from the mist and attacked. Sasuke meet the charge, his right arm moving in a blur, having drawn a single kunai. Sliding between the water clones with his newly improved speed, Sasuke smirked as the water clones now behind him splashed back into water.

"Oooh." Zabuza crooned in mock admiration. "A quick series of precise, tiny little cuts to dispel my clones. The little brat is pretty quick. You think you can still handle him, Haku." The masked ninja merely nodded, and then _moved_. Sasuke was surprised by the rapid rush, but still easily blocked the attack, a hand full of senbon needles. Pushing against Haku for superiority, Sasuke maintained his smirk.

"If that is as fast as you can go, then you are going to lose here." Haku giggled, shocking Team 7 with the carefree air to it.

"Even if it was ninja-san, it doesn't matter for two reasons. Zabuza-sama has kindly provided me with plenty of water…and you cannot form seals one-handed." The giggling ninja raised their free hand, rapidly flipping through seals. "A weakness I do not share."

"One-handed seals?" Kakashi whispered, shocked. "Sasuke, get out of there!" The Uchiha genin grimaced, seeing scores of needles made from ice forming on the ground and floating up to surround him in a heartbeat.

"Sensatsu Suishou(Death by a Thousand Flying Water Needles)."

Seeing the needles launching at him, Sasuke knew he had one chance at this. Using an idea from one of the mistakes made during the tree-climbing training, Sasuke over-charged chakra to his feet and flew into the air over the attack. Calling on the acrobatic talent he'd nurtured his whole life, Sasuke recovered from the clumsy launch and landed with cat-like grace, ready to fight.

"Is that best you can do?" Kakashi gave a chuckle of his own, pleased to see an inventive use of basic training from one of his students. Zabuza eyed the other Jounin suspiciously.

"What are you laughing for, Copy-cat?" Kakashi smiled broadly, scrunching his face in an odd way due to mask and eye patch/Emblem.

"I'm just proud of them, my students. Sakura is one of the very smartest kunoichi of her generation. Sasuke is one of the elite, one of the last Uchiha alive. And Naruto…he and his sword can speak for themselves. Right, Naruto?" Zabuza swore, recalling the blonde's stealth jutsu as the kenjutsu-using brat snorted, still hidden.

"How did you know I was here, Sensei." Kakashi tapped his nose.

"You're good for a genin, Naruto, but there is a reason I'm a Jounin. Watch Sasuke's back, would you?" Zabuza snarled at the casualness of the request.

"I guess since everyone is here anyways, let's really get this started; Kirigakure no Jutsu(Hidden Mist technique)!" With that, the mist thickened until no one could see, and the real battle started.

* * *

"Tell me, Copy-cat, do you really think your little genin are going to be able to beat Haku?" Kakashi's jaw muscles twitched, as he kept his ears peeled for the slightest sound.

"Why wouldn't they, you seemed rather impressed with Naruto before, and Sasuke isn't exactly weak."

"Maybe." Zabuza chuckled. "But Haku isn't just a minion of mine. Haku is my greatest weapon. I've trained Haku in all aspects of the ninja profession, focusing on nothing but crafting the finest tool. And I've succeeded. Haku is strong, stronger then me even, especially with all this water to feed my tool's Hyouton bloodline…" Kakashi's eye widened.

'_Shit! I knew it was unlikely to see someone other then a Snow ninja using Ice techniques, but a true bloodline…I need to get over there now! Neither of them are ready to fight an elemental bloodline!_' Suiting action to thought, the silver-haired Jounin started running to his students. Three steps forward, the mist to Kakashi's left boiled with movement and Zabuza's Cleaver descended to chop the Leaf ninja in half. Swearing, Kakashi twisted his torso and flexed his legs in a desperate move to avoid being cleaved in twain. The maneuver kept him alive, but he came away from the exchange with a long slash across his chest. "Damn it."

"Nice try Copy-cat. But, let the brats play. You and me are going to finish what we started and this time you won't be getting much use from that eye of yours…since mine are closed."

'_Not good._'

"Speaking of things getting finished…" There was a grunt in the mist, followed by a loud crash of steel on stone and a loud yelp of fright. "You're not bad leaf-brat, but I'm the Devil of the Bloody Mist! A true master of silent killing. If you want to die, step over here again!"

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted. "Stop trying to get yourself killed and help Sasuke, your teammate needs you!"

"But sensei, if we take down Zabuza, we can all jump Haku. Isn't that a better plan?"

"Naruto, your plan to fight Zabuza wouldn't have anything to do with your desire to be famous would it?" In the mist, Zabuza quirked a hairless eyebrow in amusement at the silence that answered Kakashi's comment. As if the little brat would get credit for his death, even if these Leaf-bastards were strong enough to manage it.

"…I'll go help jackass, if it means that much to you…" There was no sound of movement, except…

Kakashi dodged again, completely avoiding Zabuza's sword this time.

"Die, Copy-cat!"

* * *

Sasuke peered into the thick mist uselessly, struggling to catch even a glimpse of his speedy opponent. Said opponent giggled, this mist distorting the sound which pissed the Uchiha scion off even further.

"Come out and face me, coward!" The mists began to thin around Sasuke, causing some of his tension to slip away. It seemed the masked ninja was not a silent killing master, and planned on rejoining the fight.

"Tell me Uchiha-san, why would I come out and 'face you', when I can do this?" Tinges of fear crawled up Sasuke's spine as the last wisps of mist in the area were sucked into the icy structures that now surrounded the genin.

"I'm sorry it came to this, Sasuke-san, but I'm not well-equipped to fight a Doujutsu user like you. Prepare yourself; Makyou Hyoushou(Demonic ice Crystal Mirrors)." Sasuke spun in a circle, observing the ice mirrors, noting that they covered all directions but underneath. Haku's image appeared in one of the mirrors, having stepped into it from the back. "I do not like to kill, because it makes my heart ache. But against the Sharingan, I will harden my heart and slay you for Zabuza-sama." Haku's image appeared in each of the mirrors, every copy drawing senbon from their sleeves.

'_But,_' Sasuke thought as a storm of needles erupted inside the dome formed by the mirrors '_I don't even have the Sharingan yet!_' Drawing a kunai in each hand, Sasuke's hands blurred as he attempted to block each and every needle seeking to pierce his skin. Dodging, twisting, jumping, bending, the Uchiha heir used every defensive trick he knew to avoid the worst of the metallic storm, kunai blocking the most of the rest. Still, a number of senbon found their way past his defenses and punctured his arms and legs.

"Damnit." Sasuke cursed, spotting the mirror images drawing more senbon. A second wave burst forth, scoring hits on nearly every part of his body as Haku adjusted the angles of attack.

"Is this the best that the Uchiha can do?" Sasuke growled at the masked ninja, but said nothing. Instead, the dark-haired ninja pushed chakra into his legs and made a mad dash for one of the spaces between the hovering mirrors. A few feet away from freedom, a blur crossed Sasuke's vision as he felt a sharp kick to the chest that tossed him back into the dome.

'_That bastard!_' Sasuke thought furiously. '_He's not throwing needles from inside the mirrors, he's jumping _outside_ them and attacking me at incredible speeds! All I need to fight him is to just see him move._' A loud crash outside the dome barely registered on the minds of the two combatants as a flash of red danced unseen across Sasuke's eyes. Moments later, a third wave of senbon flew out. This time, knowing what to look for, Sasuke saw glimpses of movement between the mirrors from Haku's attacks, letting the Leaf ninja better predict and evade the needles. Haku noticed the improvement, but still didn't see the tell-tale red of the Sharingan. Strange, but it could dealt with.

"You're getting better at dodging my needles. I suppose I must step things up." This time, the mirror-Haku's removed a double handful of senbon. Sasuke braced himself, fingers twitching. Let the masked fool speak, he'd be dealt with soon enough. As the fourth wave started, Sasuke dropped his kunai and started rapidly flashing through hand seals, accepting a few senbons as a price for victory.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu(Great Fireball technique)!" Aborting the attack in surprise, Haku retreated inside the mirrors.

"You missed." Haku noted calmly.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu(Great Fireball technique)!" Sasuke roared, aiming his next fireball straight at one of the mirrors in an attempt to open a way out. Moments later, the fireball ended to reveal the mirror still standing, undamaged.

"I'm afraid my mirrors are unbreakable. Such weak fires cannot melt them." Sasuke gave a slightly manic laughter.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I wish Naruto and his exploding notes were here."

"Wish granted!" A full 20 exploding notes went off all at once, lashing at Haku's mirrors with heat and force, sending a wave of smoke and pressure charging across the bridge and over the combatants. Both Sasuke and Haku, caught in the middle of it, flinched.

* * *

In the heart of the mist, Kakashi and Zabuza slashed at each other furiously, having clashed too closely to disengage. Kakashi wielded two kunai in a manner similar to his trapped student while Zabuza continued to swing his massive Cleaver. Both Jounin were bleeding from open wounds, panting lightly from exertion.

"Not bad, Copy-cat. Holding me off even without your precious eye."

"Oh." Kakashi made a senseless noise of acceptance. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Heh. You're still going to die."

"Maybe. Maybe n-"

_**KA-Boooom!**_

The bridge seemed to jump from the force of the explosion, shaking the Jounin on their feet. A half-moment later, a wave of wind and pressure blew through their fight, knocking aside Zabuza's summoned mist. There was a brief second, where all was clear, allowing Kakashi to see a frightened Sakura still guarding Tazuna, the Ice mirrors surrounding Sasuke, and a shocked Zabuza standing in front of him. Seizing the unexpected chance, Kakashi drug his fingers through one of his wounds, and as the mist rolled back in, flicked the gathered blood on Zabuza.

'_Just a little longer students. This is about to end._'

* * *

Blinded by smoke, and deafened by the explosion, Sasuke none-the-less made his attempt at freedom. Running back to where he thought Kakashi-sensei was fighting, Sasuke kept his eyes closed to keep out the smoke as he neared an opening. While not a master of silent killing, Haku _had_ been trained by one. Sasuke was about to pass between two mirrors when a handful of senbon flew across the dome and buried themselves in Sasuke's knees, dropping him instantly.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, having seen the painful attack.

Haku jumped mirrors, appearing by Sasuke and then launching a kick that knocked the Uchiha back into the center of the dome once again. "Tell me boys, what part of 'my mirrors are unbreakable' did you not understand?"

Naruto swore, quietly. Between the mist, which he wasn't used to working with yet, Haku's mask, and all the jumping in and out of mirrors, the blonde had been unable to successfully weave an illusion around the enemy ninja. And now, Sasuke was disabled. With that many senbons in his knees, there was no way for Sasuke to walk, much less run. Naruto had to do something, now!

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-san, but allow me to end your pain." Haku flashed out the mirrors, senbon flying. Unable to dodge, crippled as he was, Sasuke stared as the gleaming needles rained down.

'_I'm…going to die…_'

As the senbon slammed into Sasuke, the ninja's eyes turned red, a single tomoe spinning in each orb. The newly awakened Sharingan burned for only a moment before it's wielder collapsed, eyes closing as Sasuke slipped away into the darkness.

"Sasuke? Are you all right, Sasuke?"

"I'm sorry, ninja-san. But your friend is gone. Is this the first time you've seen a friend die?" A form in the mist rippled, nearly becoming visible.

"He's dead?"

Haku nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid so." Naruto felt himself start to shake as Haku began speaking of the pain of being a ninja, the suffering of life, the loss of ones heart, and the service of a ninja as nothing more then a tool. The masked ninja words poured into his ears as he stared at the body of his teammate, a spike of jagged emotions welling up in his heart. Sasuke was a bastard, a dick, a jerk, an annoyingly arrogant jackass…but he was Naruto's teammate, his fellow Leaf ninja. Dead.

"Naruto-san?" Haku's voice was questioning, trying to draw out the hidden blonde. The Hyouton user was beginning to run out of chakra, and needed to find Naruto to end this quickly.

"I'm going to _hurt_ you."

"Naruto-san?"

Haku's only answer was an enormous column of bloody red chakra erupting from right next to one of the mirrors.

* * *

At the edge of the bridge, Tazuna and Sakura trembled as the bloodlust in the air increased many times over, weighing down of the two until all it was they could to do to breathe and stand.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Zabuza muttered, shocked by the rampaging Killing Intent and the swelling, tainted chakra radiating from the other fight on the bridge.

'_Not good, so not good! Did Black Mirage crack the Seal? No, the sword wants to be wielded, and no 200 foot demon-fox would. Naruto must be in true danger, and leaking demonic chakra like any Jinchuuriki. I'll have to end it now._'

"Sorry Zabuza, but I've got to take of a few things, so we'll have to wrap this up now."

"Oh." Zabuza laughed, looking down on his numerous, but minor wounds. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"Like this." In a practiced movement, Kakashi snatched a scroll form his vest and smeared blood from his wounds down its length once he opened it. Snapping it closed again, Kakashi clenched it in meat of hands, between his thumbs and index fingers, forming hands signs.

"Tsuiga no Jutsu(Tracking Fang technique)!"

When the technique produced a poof of smoke and nothing else, Zabuza laughed. "So much for finishing this, huh Kakashi?"

"Zabuza, your left pant leg, above the knee in front." Confused, Zabuza risked opening one eye to glance down at his leg, barely visible through the mist. Where Kakashi had described was a bloodstain.

"I fail to see what difference a blood-spatter means."

"Ah, but it's not your blood. It's mine." Zabuza turned it over in his head until he heard a deep rumbling from under the stone at his feet.

"Fuck."

Howling and barking, a pack of dog-nin burst from the bridge and attacked Zabuza, their teeth clamping down like bear-traps as their weight and chakra pinned him to the ground, rendering him immobile. Roaring in rage, Zabuza struggled to move anything, but couldn't even lift his own arms.

"Zabuza." Kakashi's voice called out, as a loud and frenzied chirping filled the air. "You keep calling me a copy-cat, so let me show you a Jutsu that I developed myself, years ago. It's called…Raikiri(Lightning Edge)."

* * *

As the bonfire of red chakra built itself higher, Naruto became visible, the violent energy disrupting his technique. Seeing an opportunity, Haku drew a pair of senbon and threw. A good two feet from the blonde, the metal needles were deflected by a veritable wall of chakra. The attack did serve a purpose though; it called Naruto's attention right to the masked nin.

Silently, Naruto pointed his sword at Haku's mirrors. The Hyouton user flinched as the red chakra rushed toward the blade, filtering through the diamond on the pummel and pouring up the edge, now a cheery sky-blue.

"Kitsune-Bi(Foxfire)." A hissing column of the blue energy blasted at the mirrors as more red energy poured out to the replace the filtered chakra. Haku, meanwhile stood ground, trusting in the Ice Mirror's indestructibility.

It proved to be a mistake.

Foxfire was as much a spiritual technique as it was physical, something the mirrors had no resistance to. For the first time ever, Haku's mirrors burned. Screaming, their creator leapt from the Ice Mirrors as they melted away. Forming more ice failed to completely extinguish the fiery technique, and Haku was forced to drop and roll on the ground to finish the job. Distracted, Haku failed to notice the blaze of chakra approaching until Naruto kicked the mask off Haku's face, not incidentally stunning the Hyouton user.

"I thought it was you, but I couldn't be sure. You seemed so nice when we talked, and that speech you gave about how your heart hurt to take another's life…were they all lies to trick us?"

"No." Haku gasped, the burnt ninja rolling over to relieve the pain of the burns on the front of their body. "It truly does make my heart hurt, but as I said, I am Zabuza-sama's tool. A broken tool now." Haku's eyes closed. "Please, just finish it."

Naruto paused, noting the bandages on Haku's chest through the ninja's mostly burnt-away kimono. "I would, but you killed my teammate. I'm not going to let you off that easily." Naruto knelt next to Haku, the demonic chakra surrounding him dimming, but not disappearing. "This is my sword, Black Mirage. I'd do this myself but he is a lot crueler then me." The last thing Haku heard as Naruto pressed the odd-looking sword into her hand was an entire flock of birds chirping angrily.

* * *

"No!" Zabuza roared, still struggling to move. "I won't die this way! I still have to kill that bastard Mizukage! Damn you Kakashi!" The Raikiri in Kakashi's hand surged as the silver-haired Jounin charged the immobilized Devil.

_Shlurk!_

"Sorry, Bloody Devil." Kakashi whispered in the dying man's ear, his fist embedded in Zabuza's heart. "But you are too dangerous to let live." The Devil of the Bloody Mist didn't respond, he merely slumped in the gripes of Kakashi's dog pack, the life already faded from his eyes. Calmly, Kakashi removed his hand and dismissed his pack with a quiet 'thanks'. With Zabuza's death, the mist began to clear, the midday sun rapidly burning away the unnatural weather. Closer then Tazuna and Sakura, Kakashi was the first to see the scene where Haku, Sasuke, and Naruto fought. The Jounin sighed sadly, seeing one of his students lying motionless on the ground. Naruto, who was still covered in flickering wisps of Demonic chakra, crouched over Haku, who looked to been lashed with fire. The blonde didn't see his teacher, or even look up until Sakura let everyone know the fog had cleared enough for her to see the remains of the fight.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura shrieked in grief, abandoning Tazuna to rush to her love's side. The bridge builder didn't protest, having already seen Zabuza's corpse. Instead, he walked up to Kakashi and joined in watching Sakura weep over Sasuke's body.

"I'm so sorry Sakura." Naruto told the kunoichi. "I tried to help, but Haku's mask helped her resist my illusions, and her mirrors were so tough…" Sakura didn't respond verbally, but started plucking senbon from Sasuke's body, not wanting to see him like that.

"I'm sorry." Tazuna muttered to the Jounin. "I didn't mean for one of your students to die. We just needed help so badly. Is…is there any way I can make it up to you?" Kakashi gave the civilian a very tired smile.

"It's alright. Ninja die, it's a fact of our existence. We choose to continue the missions despite the risks, and we've made the world a better, safer place. That's all any Leaf ninja could ask."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Sakura, Sasuke won't be forgotten. I'll make sure he's remembered, even if I have to order them to when I become Hokage." Sakura gave the blonde a wan smile, touched he would make such a kind offer when there had been…problems between them lately.

"As if…you'll become…Hokage, stupid."

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, hugging her crush. "You're alive!" The standing males all gaped, shocked at Sasuke's miraculous recovery.

"How?" Naruto stuttered. "Haku killed you! She said…that lying bitch!" Naruto shot an angry look at the kunoichi, who was staring sightlessly at the sky, the hilt of Black Mirage resting loosely on her palm. Naruto paled as a thought occurred to him. "Oh shit. She _didn't_ _kill you!_ That means I…for nothing!" Scrambling, Naruto plucked Black Mirage from Haku's hand and started shaking her.

'_Mirage! Tell me you didn't finish the job! Tell me she'll recover!_'

Mirage studied his wielder's thoughts before answering, knowing this could ended up badly for him.

'_Not…completely. With help she might heal one day, but I can't offer any guarantee._' Naruto growled, it would have to do.

"Kakashi-sensei, we have to help her."

"Why?" Sakura snapped. "She tried to kill Sasuke-kun!"

"If she was going to kill him, she would have. She just wanted to help her friend, just like us. We shouldn't kill her just for that!" Kakashi sighed, knowing that Naruto wasn't going to like his answer, but he never got a chance to speak.

"What's this? How did that stupid fucker Zabuza not manage to kill any of you?" Tazuna and Team 7 looked up, spotting Gatoh and 200 of his hired thugs gathered at the unfinished end of the bridge. The hired muscles looked rather bored, but the midget businessman looked absolutely pissed. "That arrogant incompetent! How does a freak like that earn a nickname like 'Devil of the Bloody Mist' and still not be able to kill a few bleeding-heart Konoha ninja?" Gatoh spat to one side. "Makes me glad I never planned on paying him." Gatoh eyed the Leaf ninja, brightening as he recognized Kakashi as possessing a rather high bounty in a few countries. "You know what boys, Zabuza and his bitch might be dead, but the plan is still on. Bring me those ninja's heads and you can loot, pillage, and rape in Wave to your heart's content!"

Listening to the armed rabble cheering and working themselves into a frenzy, Kakashi got ready to fight. He was low on chakra, thanks to his Raikiri attack, but the hell if he was going to let 200 plus murderers and rapists go hog-wild on a defenseless country.

That's when someone started laughing.

It took even team 7 a moment to recognize the source, having never heard Naruto laugh in such a horrible manner, a terrible bitter noise.

"All this pain and struggling. Men killed and women's lives ruined, and it's all because of you." Naruto turned slightly to view his teammates, reveal that his eyes had become swirling pits of prismatic color. "Kakashi-sensei, you better get everyone out of here. I think I'm about to earn my ninja nickname." Standing, Naruto slung Black Mirage over his shoulder and began walking to the crowd of hired muscle who were beginning to move forward. Swearing, Kakashi popped out a few Kage Bushin and had them grabbed everyone, including the comatose Haku.

"Let's go, I don't think any of us want to see what Naruto's capable of right now." Before Sasuke could protest not getting to see the extent of Naruto's abilities, Kakashi and his clones used Shunshin(Body Flicker) to clear out of the area.

* * *

Naruto strode right at the unruly mob of men, Mirage tapping on his shoulder, pulsing with excitement. If there was one thing the blade loved, it was a fight of any kind. Even the Kyuubi was feeling eager, receiving the experience third-hand from Black Mirage. As the blonde closed in on the bandits/killers/thieves, Demonic chakra filled his body, letting Naruto know that the Bijuu fully approved of what he was about to do. That fact almost made him hesitate, but the idea of so many men mimicking the actions of those two men towards Tsunami…it made his blood boil. Setting his feet, Naruto brought Black Mirage off his shoulder to point at the mob nearing his position.

"If you bastards think I'm going to let you attack Wave, you're out of your damn minds!" Inspiration flashed as he, Mirage, and the Kyuubi all focused on a single goal; the utter destruction of these men.

"Kitsune-Bi Akuma no Jutsu(Foxfire Devil technique)."

The men screamed as blood red and sky blue flames poured from Naruto.

* * *

"Sensei, look."

Curious, Kakashi followed Sakura's pointing finger and then promptly gasped in shock. A few hundred yards from the bridge, Tazuna and Team 7 stood in a wide clearing, surrounded by the residents of Wave still brave enough to try and figure out what was going on when Naruto's Exploding Note had rocked the bridge. As such, they were all in a fine position to see the 100' tall blue fox with red accents made entirely from translucent fire. A fox whose 9 tails and breath burned everything they touched, slaughtering Gatoh's goons by the dozen and scattering the rest to the 4 winds. The beast was furious, merciless, and unharmed by any weapon Gatoh's men carried. There was utter silence as they all watched it finish it's work before vanishing as if it had never been.

"Dear Kami, Naruto. What have you done?" Sasuke and Sakura shivered at their teacher's words.

* * *

The following week was a mess of tension. Everyone wanted to know what Naruto had done at the bridge, where the bodies of Gatoh and men had gone, but no one asked. Instead, the people of Wave decided to celebrate Gatoh's death and once everyone recovered from their hangovers, work began on the bridge at a terrific pace. There was one thing about the situation that put off the residents of Wave. The day the bridge was completed, cerulean flames sprouted from the tops of the bridge's four corners and began to burn harmlessly, giving off a soothing light. When asked, Naruto could not or would not explain it, saying only that they would burn for at least 100 years, and that no evil spirit would ever pass between the two pairs of flames. Kakashi added it as one more question to mention to the Hokage along with Haku's continued comatose state and the giant fox made from fire. The day after the bridge's completion, Team 7 said their good byes and set off towards on the new structure.

As the ninja faded in the distance, one figure carrying another, Tazuna spoke up.

"What do you all think of this name; the Naruto Foxfire Bridge?"

The entire crowd murmured their approval.

* * *

**Author's note:** Annnd, back to Konoha we go! Next chapter anyways. I'm sure there'll be a lot of question about the Foxfire Devil technique, I ain't saying nothing! Except that, perhaps, it is a combination ninjutsu/genjutsu. A fair bit of AU in this chapter without completely derailing things.

Yes, Sasuke did gain the Sharingan. And no, it's not damaged from him being put into a death-like state as soon as it activated, although that idea has some interesting potential. As for Haku, some serious shit there. In this story Haku is female, but I haven't quite decided how much she is going to recover. I already do know that there are going to be SOME side-effects from what happened to her, just not sure how bad and how many.

Anywho, next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Why would I bother to call down fire and lightning when I can just bring your greatest nightmares to life?" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

"Are we almost done Old Man?" Sarutobi smiled fondly as he watched Naruto Uzumaki fidget impatiently in the center of a large seal-circle.

"Almost, Naruto-kun. Just a few last checks." Naruto sighed, but nodded, going back to waiting and staring at the medic-nins employing the seal-circle. Professionals, the medic-nins simply ignored him. Enjoying his pipe, Sarutobi was the picture of patience while the last of the tests were completed. Watching the medic-nins start packing up, the Hokage waved at Naruto. "Just wait in here for a little while longer Naruto-kun, alright?" The blonde nodded, watching the village leader walk out to confer with the medics.

'_Remind me, wielder, why we are submitting to this indignity?_' Naruto rolled his eyes.

'_It's just a safety precaution. It's not like the Old Man has ever done anything to hurt me._'

'_Fair enough. Wake me when we leave._'

Hidden behind a one-way mirror in the next room, the Hokage watched his favorite genin gain a distant look in his eyes, no doubt communicating with Black Mirage. Beside him, Ibiki Morino, head of the ANBU Interrogation and Torture department, rifled through a sheaf of papers. Studying the results, Ibiki laid the papers down. "I'm ready to give my report, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi nodded.

"Uzumaki-san shows no sign of increased Demonic chakra production despite the manifestation spoken of in Hatake's report. As theorized, the 'Rune' on Uzumaki-san's chest draws chakra in such a way that it stimulates the Seal containing the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It causes no noticeable stress to the Seal and the drain on Uzumaki-san's reserves is so minor as to be unnoticeable. The boy's physical development has greatly improved since his last exam, but it is easily explained by the intense training regime Hatake reported."

Sarutobi gave his pipe another puff. "Then Naruto-kun is fine?"

"In perfect shape Hokage-sama. As Head of the I & T Department, I hereby officially clear Naruto Uzumaki for field service." Sarutobi smiled, putting out his pipe and tucking it away.

"Excellent. I'll go tell him the good news." Still smiling, the Hokage stepped into the next room.

"Can I go now Old Man, please?" Sarutobi laughed, walking up and patting the boy on the head.

"Of course Naruto-kun. You can leave anytime now. I'm sure your sensei is looking for you." Smiling, Naruto leapt and rushed out the room. Sarutobi followed him with his eyes, smile never fading. The old Hokage had been saddened to hear that the young genin had been forced to take lives, and in such a manner, but Naruto was strong and was dealing with the situation as well as any young man could. Satisfied about the boy's health, the village leader was now more concerned about the young woman that Team 7 had brought back to Konoha. Physically in fine health, some of the best healers from the Yamanaka clan had been called in to study what was currently a unique case. From what the Yamanakas had been able to determine, the girl's mind was still present, but deeply suppressed, and barely active. Sarutobi had made certain to keep that information from Naruto. The Hokage was sure the boy was feeling guilty about what turned out to be an overly vicious reprisal and he didn't want to add more weight to the blonde's shoulders.

"I wonder what she'll have to say when she comes to…"

* * *

Naruto had barely stepped outside the exam room when he heard a familiar voice.

"Yo." Naruto spun to see his teacher leaning against the wall.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" Kakashi closed the copy of 'Icha Icha' he'd been reading and straightened up.

"Being a responsible teacher, Naruto. I thought you'd like a guide out of here." Leaving, Kakashi heard his student fall in behind him. "So Naruto, everything check out?"

"Clean bill of health sensei. I guess so anyways, they let me go after all." Kakashi chuckled.

"True, the medic-corps are rather adamant that their patients don't leave before they're healed. You missed today's team meeting, you know?" Naruto groaned.

"Another one?"

"Yep!" Kakashi responded cheerfully. "Don't worry though, I'm sure I told Sasuke and Sakura where you were…at some point." Naruto groaned again. Kakashi stopped, waving a hand at a nondescript door. "Here you are Naruto. Be sure to take it easy before tomorrow's meeting. Usual place." Message delivered, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Rolling his eyes at his superior's flair for the dramatic, Naruto stepped out of the facility and started walking down the street. Not long after leaving the building, Naruto felt Black Mirage stir.

'_So, are we going to do anything today?_'

'_I guess we could get in some practice today._' Mirage settled down, only for something to ping on his awareness. Stopping, Naruto turned around. Right behind him was a box painted like a rock, a small hole on the side facing Naruto. '_Who do I know that…oh yeah._' "Hey Konohamaru."

"Ha ha ha! Not unexpected from my rival for the title of Hokage!" With a loud _Pop!_, the box exploded in a thick cloud of smoke. "Ack! Too much flash powder!" Naruto shook his head, watching the cloud disperse. The blonde then waited for Konohamaru and his friends Moegi and Udon to finish their cartoon style introduction. Once they were done, Konohamaru went right to what they wanted.

"Naruto! Play Ninja with us!" Moegi and Udon joined him in pleading with wide eyes.

"Please!" They begged. "Pretty please play Ninja with us?" Naruto eventually gave into their pleading which managed to amuse Black Mirage. Once they had Naruto's agreement they cheered and ran off, Konohamaru in the lead, towards the nearest park. Moments after they turned the corner and got out of the blonde's sight, there was a yelp and the sound of a collision. Frowning, Naruto sped up, wondering who the kids ran into. Turning the corner himself, Naruto saw Moegi and Udon cowering in front of an older boy dressed in black, his face decorated with purple paint. He had something wrapped up on his back and was holding Konohamaru off the ground. Behind the black-clad teen was a girl in lightly-colored robe-like garments, cinched with a red sash. A long black metal thing hung off her back and her blond hair was in four bunches spiking behind her head. As Naruto closed in, the girl was talking.

"Come on Kankurou. He's just a little kid. Just put him down and let's go." The boy, Kankurou, grunted.

"No way Temari. This brat ran right into me. I want to punish him." Kankurou made an evil face at Konohamaru. "This is probably going to hurt, brat."

Naruto scowled, feeling a bit of anger rush through him. '_Like I'm going to let some make-up wearing asshole pick on the Old Man's grandson!_' Calling up his recent experiences and training, Naruto projected his Killing Intent through his eyes, focusing it solely on the two teens whose headbands he didn't recognize.

The effect was instantaneous.

Kankurou dropped Konohamaru like he'd caught fire and stumbled back, paling. Temari didn't back away, but she did start shaking. Reaching Konohamaru, Naruto patted him on the head. "Why don't you guys go home ok? We'll play Ninja some other time." No longer feeling up to playing, the three kids nodded and darted off. Turning to face the two older teens, Naruto reduced his Killing Intent.

"Who are you, and what do you think you're doing?" Having been exposed to Killing Intent due to their little brother, Temari and Kankurou quickly recovered, but were still slightly shaken.

"I'm Temari, and this is my brother Kankurou, We're here for the Chuunin exam." Naruto didn't know what a Chuunin exam was, but Mirage had been painstakingly attempting to teach him some form of self-control when it came to his emotions. Plus, it helped that he was pissed off and there was nobody to play up to.

"I didn't ask why you're here, I asked what the hell you thought you were doing picking on a couple of kids like that!" Putting a snarl in his voice, Naruto spiked his Killing Intent a bit. It got a reaction.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Kankurou said quickly, backing away again. Naruto harrumphed, but decided to let it go. As a genin he didn't much authority over things like that anyways. Plus, the kids were safe.

"Fine. But if I catch you picking on little kids like that again, getting caught by ANBU is going to be a mercy compared to what I'll do to you." Turning around, Naruto went to leave but Temari called out to him.

"Wait! What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." He called back, not turning around. When the two older teens didn't say anything else, Naruto left. Breathing a sigh of relief, Temari and Kankurou considered themselves lucky to get out of a confrontation with a ninja wielding Jounin-level Killing Intent without fighting. Or, at least they did until they heard the swirl of sand that was distinctive to their brother's Sand Shunshin come from behind them.

"Gaara!" Temari squeak. "What's wrong?" The youngest brother was silent, staring after Naruto for a minute before responding.

"Mother is interested in him." Temari and Kankurou instantly swore not to get between the two when Gaara managed to fight the Leaf ninja.

* * *

A quiet murmuring filled the room as many of Konoha's Jounin, special Jounin, and Chuunin met for an announcement by the Hokage. Once everyone was present, Sarutobi raised his hand, getting instant silence. "I'm sure many of you know, but for those of you who do not, the time has come for Konoha to host the Chuunin exam." There was a short-lived buzz from the Jounin. "Starting with the Jounin who are currently teaching rookies, is there anyone who would like to register their team for the exam?"

One after another, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma stepped forward and nominated their teams for the exam. As the crowd started chattering in surprise at rookies being nominated, Iruka moved forward and shouted.

"Wait just one second! Why are you doing this? Teams 7, 8, and 10 were my students until just recently, and I feel that they are not ready for something as harsh as the Chuunin exam!" The gathered ninja began whispering to each other about Iruka's outburst as Kakashi looked up from his ever-present book.

"Oh really?" Kakashi shot back, smiling behind his mask. "The death of Zabuza Momochi and over 200 bandits in Wave says otherwise about Team 7." Silence filled the room.

"The Devil of the Mist, and how many bandits?" Iruka choked out, utterly stunned. The Academy teacher had been busy lately, and had not had time to seek out Naruto, but this…no! "Hokage-sama, please tell me Hatake is lying!" Sarutobi sighed, not entirely pleased with the public release of that information.

"I'm afraid Kakashi is not lying Iruka-kun. While Kakashi handled Momochi, Naruto was the one who 'took care' of the bandits."

"I-I see." Iruka managed. "I…withdraw my protest." A few of the ninja present sent the man a sympathetic look as he retook his place in the crowd.

"Now then." The Hokage said. "Let us hear recommendations from the rest of the Jounin sensei.

* * *

Team 7's meeting the next day was quiet. Sasuke was brooding, Sakura was watching him brood, and Naruto was listening to Mirage describe something called a 'Whirlwind Attack' that sounded awesome, if a pain in the butt to learn.

"Hello kiddies. Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the road of life…"

"You're late!" Sakura shouted, remembering at the last second not to screech near Naruto.

"Hey sensei." Naruto mumbled, more interested in Mirage's story then his teacher's habitual lateness.

Sasuke grunted.

Kakashi sighed, disappointed that only one of his pupils was willing to play today. "Today's meeting is going to be pretty short." Kakashi produced three slips of paper from his vest. "These, my students, are applicants to the Chuunin exam." Naruto perked up, remembering that phrase from yesterday.

"The Chuunin exam!" Sakura exclaimed. "Are we really ready to test for Chuunin rank?"

'_Ahh._' Naruto thought. '_Makes sense._' Kakashi shrugged.

"I think you are, but if you felt that you aren't, don't sign up. It's important that you only take the exam if you feel that you're ready. No pressure!" Smiling and waving, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves. All three genin looked down at the applications, noting that the slips told them to come to room 301 at the Academy in a week's time. Slowly, Team 7 split apart, each planning on contemplating if they were ready or not at great length.

The week passed slowly for them, and Kakashi seemed to go with the flow on this, focusing on polishing their skills instead of attempting to teach them new ones in their distracted state. Kakashi made doubly sure to check Naruto's progress on the Kai(Release) technique, not wanting the blonde to start chucking Exploding Notes at examiners who were employing genjutsu for one reason or the other. Finally though, it came time for the exam to begin. Sakura even showed up a little early, eager to spend time with Sasuke. As the exam approached, the pinkette found herself to be less and less nervous about it. After all, she had Sasuke on her team, and Naruto too, who could apparently turn into a 100' tall fox made from fire. What was up with that anyways? Sensei never did explain it…

"Sasuke-kun, are you ready to ace the exam?" Sasuke nodded to her question before heading inside the Academy. Naruto and Sakura hurried after him, not wanting to get separated so early in the test. Team 7 walked through the Academy along with the rest of the examinees, only to encounter a strange situation. A pair of genin or Chuunin that nobody recognized were standing guard in front of a door with a '301' sign hung above it, which made no sense given that this was only the second floor.

Naruto was more focused on the action going on as one of the unfamiliar genin had just socked the pink-shirted kunoichi from Team 9 hard enough to knock her to the ground. Still a little sensitive from the thug's behavior back in Wave, Naruto marched forward, trailed slowly by teammates who had a pretty good idea what had just set him off thanks to the stories Tsunami had been telling about what a personal hero Naruto had been for her.

"Hey asshole!" Naruto shouted, catching the leftmost genin's attention…and gaze. "Sleep!" Naruto barked out, enforcing the order with chakra just as Mirage had taught him. The assembled crowd began whispering quietly when the door 'guard' dropped instantly, snoring lightly.

"Hey!" The other genin said quickly, backing away with his hands up. "We were just trying to help, you know, get everyone worked up for the exam!"

"Grab your friend and leave." Naruto told him, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. Once he did, Naruto turned to the kunoichi that had been knocked down. "You ok miss?" TenTen blushed, embarrassed that she was being treated like a weak little girl. Still, that was the cover they'd picked so people would underestimate them in the exam.

"Thank you." Tenten muttered, getting to her feet.

"No problem." Naruto responded. "Everyone good to go?"

"I'm been ready, Naruto." Sasuke said sharply, not happy about wasting time on a bunch of weaklings.

"Yeah yeah." Naruto chorused, following Sasuke as he headed up the stairs with Sakura. "I still can't stand the fact that you're the group leader, jerk." Tromping up the steps, Naruto was blissfully unaware of the rumors that were spawning behind him as the other genin wondered what skills Sasuke had that made him leader over the obviously skilled genjutsu-user blonde.

* * *

Approaching room 301, the genin of Team 7 were surprised to see their sensei standing in front of the double doors. Waiting until they stopped in front of him, Kakashi addressed his students.

"I'm glad all three of you decided to show up." Kakashi briefly considered explaining why he was glad, but decided to do so after the exam. They'd find out soon enough, and he probably didn't want to be around when they did. "I just wanted to let you all know that I'm proud of you for taking this step, students." Smiling, Kakashi stepped aside and waved Team 7 into the room. As soon as the genin were out of sight, Kakashi chuckled evilly and started rubbing his hands together. "Mock your sensei and the glories of Icha Icha will you? We'll see who gets the last laugh!"

* * *

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura weren't sure what to expect when they walked into the room, but being stared at by almost 200 fellow genin sure as hell wasn't near the top of the list. All three teens froze for a moment, startled by that many glares and stares being aimed their way. The effect of the crowd was lost though when Ino came out of nowhere and latched on to Sasuke with a squeal of delight. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura went to yell at her rival in love for touching _her_ Sasuke-kun, but stopped when she saw Naruto wince at the sound of Ino's voice. The pinkette merely smirked, knowing her blonde teammate was about to knock Ino-pig off her high horse.

"Shut the Hell Ino before I make you!" The Yamanaka heiress flinched, her hold on Sasuke loosening as she tried to move away from Naruto. It was hard not to be a little frightened of someone had proved to be completely immune to your best(only) special attack.

"Sasuke-kun, make Naruto stop being mean to me!" Ino cried as her two teammates walked up to the group.

"Like Sasuke-kun would protect you when _I'm_ his teammate!" Shikamaru and Choji ignored Ino and Sakura arguing and addressed Naruto and Sasuke directly.

"So you guys got roped into this too? Troublesome." Sasuke ignored the Nara boy, more concerned with getting his fan girls to let go of him. Naruto, on the other hand, smiled brightly and took the chance to brag a little.

"Dragged? No way! We _earned_ this chance at promotion."

"Hey guys! It looks like everybody from our year is here." Even Ino and Sakura stopped fighting long enough to watch Team 8 slip out of the crowd and over towards the rest of their class. Kiba grinned boldly, jabbing a finger at himself as he continued speaking for shy/reclusive teammates. "I hope you guys are ready to get left in the dust. We've been training like crazy to get here."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto shot back. "We're going to kick your butt!" Blushing madly, Hinata stepped between the two boys before they could really get started.

"Naruto-kun, Kiba, please don't fight. The exam is going to start soon." Naruto had a bit of trouble understanding the Hyuuga princess's quiet mumbling, but he and Kiba both backed down instead of shouting at each other with a girl physically between them. The commotion seemed to have attracted attention to them though, as an older boy with gray hair walked up to them.

"I know you rookies are excited and everything, but you're going to piss everyone else off if you keep making noise like that." The older boy nodded towards a group of genin from Hidden Rain. "Those guys are particularly short-tempered for some reason." Seeing the Leaf genin rookies staring at them, the Rain genin made an effort to be intimating, even leaking out some Killing Intent. Sasuke ignored their mild bloodlust, having been exposed to the likes of Zabuza. Sakura, despite being able to ignore it, didn't like being the focus of the Killing Intent, especially since some of the other genin were joining in an attempt to bully the rookies out of the room.

"Naruto." Sakura whispered. "Making them stop, ok?" Flashing a smile at his teammate, Naruto nodded.

"Sure thing Sakura-chan!" '_Hey Mirage, ask the furball if he wants to make a room full of people piss themselves?_' The answer was a very quick and emphatic yes. A moment later, Naruto's eyes turned blood-red and gained cat-like slits as the blonde sent a wave of Killing Intent through the room. Being at his side protected Naruto's classmates from most of it while the rest of the room got a full dose of the demon-influenced bloodlust. With a handful of exceptions, everyone drew back, their projected Killing Intent washing away like a sandcastle before the tide. Grinning toothily, Naruto addressed the crowd who had begun to sweat.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm going to beat this exam and become a Chuunin, and if anybody thinks they're going to stop me or my teammates, I've got a bag full of horrors and nightmares for you." Cutting off the Killing Intent, Naruto turned to his classmates. "What do you guys think? That'll show 'em not to mess with Konoha ninja, right?"

* * *

Off to one side of the room, Neji watched Sakura thank Naruto for 'taking care' of what she asked via the Byakugan from where Team 9 had taken up after slipping in through the door. Next to him, TenTen shook her head. "I can't believe blondie was hiding a bloodlust like that, can you?" Lee frowned.

"Naruto-san's actions seem…unyouthful." Neji deactivated his Byakugan.

"I do not believe that was purely Killing Intent. Uzumaki's eyes became red an instant before he flooded the room with his 'bloodlust'." Tenten's eyebrows went up.

"You don't think…genjutsu?"

"Most likely." Neji agreed. "He displayed some talent for the skill during the post-graduation exhibition matches."

"A most subtle use of genjutsu! I must tell Guy sensei of this."

Neji and TenTen rolled their eyes at Lee's idea of 'subtle'.

* * *

Kankurou and Temari shivered at the sight of their little brother's manic grin, not knowing or caring that a grass 'genin' in the middle of the crowd was smiling in an eerily similar manner.

* * *

At ground zero, Kabuto Yakushi plastered a sickly smile on his face to maintain his false persona. Inwardly, the medic ninja marveled at the sheer level of bloodlust the blonde was producing. For such a young individual, Naruto was displaying a remarkable talent for controlling Killing Intent; perhaps it was a gift created by the presence of the Kyuubi no Kitsune? '_Very interesting. I do believe I would attempt to gather information on this group even without Orochimaru-sama's request._'

"Now now kiddies, let's not get worked up. Why don't I…"

_POOF!_

"Which one of you pukes is the one throwing around Killing Intent like you think you're someone?" Naruto blinked as the vast majority of the genin in the room suddenly pointed at him.

"Aw crap."

Naruto winced as the large bear of a man leading the Chuunin examiners began storming towards him. The scarred man grabbed the blonde, lifting him clear off the ground. "Alright punk, just who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage?" The man snorted.

"So you say brat. But right now you're just another worthless punk I have the misfortune of having to deal with." The man dropped him and scanned the room. "I'm Ibiki Morino, proctor of the first exam. You little shits are going to keep quiet and behave or I'll have you tossed out on your ass, got it?" Ibiki followed up his question with a spike of Killing Intent. It wasn't the flood Naruto had produced, but it certainly got their attention. Growling, Ibiki got the genin moving and organized into the test room and randomly selected seats. "Alright, listen up." Ibiki bellowed from his new position at the front of the test room. "The first test is a written exam. There are ten questions, and you have one hour. If you get caught cheating 5 times, you'll get expelled. And finally, this exam is a team effort. If one of you fails, your entire team is disqualified. Any stupid questions before we start?" When no one took the bait, Ibiki glanced at his watch and looked back up.

"Begin!"

As one, the genin flipped over the test and got to work. Near the middle of the pack Naruto stared at the paper in front of him blankly. In his head, the blonde sensed something like, shock? Shock felt about right.

'_Mirage?_'

'…_what the hell is this shit?_' Yep, that was shock alright.

'_Sooo, I'm guessing you're not going to be able to help me with these questions?_'

'_No._'

'_Try the Fox, see what he has to say._' There was a few minutes of silence as Mirage and the Kyuubi talked. Naruto, meanwhile, made his brain ache trying to figure out the simplest of the questions. Despite having done a lot of work on his observational skills under Black Mirage's guidance lately, Naruto was NOT an intellectual.

'_The Kyuubi wants you to know that he's a Demon, not a scholar and that you're on your own._' Naruto swore. This was Sakura's thing, not his!

'_Shit! Now what?_' Minutes crawled by as Naruto started sweating. What to do, what to do?

'_Cheat. It's all you can do._'

'_How? I don't know any spying techniques._' There was a pause from Mirage.

'_I bend light. Think about it._' He did.

'_Can we do it with you inside the rune?_'

'_It is only a minor trick, reaching only as far you can see, and it doesn't work around corners and dark places. Place your hand on my rune._'

At the front of the room, Ibiki watched from the corner of his eye as Naruto Uzumaki placed his hand on his chest, the upper 'decoration'. '_I wonder what he's doing._' The special Jounin watched him closely, but spotted nothing but a slight use of chakra. Dismissing it for now, Ibiki glanced at watch, noting that it was almost time to give out the final question. Waiting until the puppeteer genin came back from the bathroom, Ibiki spoke up. "Alright, if the doll show is over, it's time to give out the final question." The genin straightened up, paying attention. The blank 10th question had confused more then a few of them, and all the genin wondered what kind of question the proctor had up his sleeve.

"Before I give out the last question, there are a few rules about it I have to explain. This just doesn't count for points on your test. If you can't answer this question, you fail this test completely and not only will you be expelled from this exam, you will be banned from ever taking the Chuunin Exam again!" There was a roar of protest from the examinees. Ibiki stared at them blankly, projecting a slowly increasing amount of Killing Intent at the genin until they finally fell silently. "I don't care what you think or say; as the protector of the First Test, my word is law here. However, the Hokage asks that I give you an option for the pansies here today. If you spineless brats don't want to risk your careers, you can quit now and leave. You will have failed this exam, but you will be allowed to take future Chuunin Exams. Now, what's it going to be?" The was a droning from the genin as various individuals debated/considered the options. It was almost a minute later that someone raised their hand.

"I-I give up." That single surrender opened the flood gates and genin began quitting in droves, their teams being dismissed with them. Seeing this, Sakura bit her tongue. The kunoichi had been toying with the idea of quitting to avoid the more dangerous parts of the Exam, but Sasuke-kun would never forgive her if she did, and Naruto would be _pissed_ if she cost him his chance at promotion. The pinkette kept quiet as more and more team left the room, until…

"Bwa-hahaha, I can't hold it in anymore! Hahaha, like the Old Man would let you ban people from the Exam for life! There's no way he'd be that cruel." The genin around Naruto looked at him as if he crazy.

"Who's 'the old man' and what the hell would he have to do with the Exam?" Naruto shrugged.

"Old Man Hokage of course, who else?" Naruto kicked back lazily, enjoying the shocked stares from the rest of the room. "So, are we going to get that question or what?" Ibiki looked over the crowd of examinees for anyone else who was going to give up, but the blonde brat's comments seemed to have shaken up the entire room enough that they had forgotten what was going on around them. The cowardly losers that would given up soon, anyways.

"Time's up brats, time for the last question." Attention shifted off of Naruto and onto Ibiki as they waited for it. Slowly, the head of the I & T department allowed himself to smirk. "Everyone still in this room…passes."

"WHAT?"

Chuckling, Ibiki began to explain the purpose of the tenth question, how it tested for determination and willingness to take risks unlike the rest of the nine questions, which tested the genin's information gathering skills. The special Jounin basked expressionlessly in the hate and fury spewed his way, delighting in know that he'd driven the little bastards crazy. A spike of chakra use outside the window caught his attention right before a black ball blasted through the window. The 'ball' twisted before a pair of kunai were thrown into the ceiling, unfurling and supporting a black cloth banner with white writing on it.

_Anko Mitarashi_

_Sexy, Single, Proctor of the Second Test!_

"Alright! Let's move out!" Fist pumping, Anko grinned at the genin, expecting a cheer for the skill it had taken for her to launch herself from across the street, safely crash through a window, and drop her momentum into that twist. Instead, the genin just stared at her, as if she were retarded or something. The kunoichi's grin dropped off as Ibiki murmured behind her.

"Anyone ever tell you your sense of the dramatic needs work?" Before Anko could snark back a comment on how the man's touch was slipping if there were this many genin left, fireworks started going off around here, popping and crackling. Blinking, Anko looked around, wondering who was providing the display. It took her only a moment to see Naruto Uzumaki sitting in the crowd, his hand in his chest. Grinning once more, Anko blew kisses to the genin who were muttering about the fireworks not burning anything.

"Thank you, thank you. Now, all of you get off your asses and follow me!" The kunoichi let out a giggle when her command(and quick exit) were accompanied by a big flaming arrow pointing after her.

'_I'll just have to see what else he can do during the exam. Might be fun to have him help me torme- err, surprise a couple of the Jounin!_'

* * *

"Alright kiddies, this here is training ground 44, better known as the Forest of Death!" Naruto, still having fun with someone with as much flair as himself, quickly wove an image of the Shinigami standing behind Anko. The 'Shinigami' simply floated behind the special Jounin, smiling creepily for a few moments before disappearing. Anko didn't notice the illusion, and attributed the sudden increase of fear to her ability to be an utterly terrifying psycho-bitch. On either side of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura smirked. It was nice to see their blonde teammate messing with other people for once.

"Before we get to the fun, you brats have to fill out and sign these waivers absolving Konoha of responsibility for your deaths as you little idiots run around in the Forest of Death." Pausing long enough to hand the papers to the nearest genin to be passed around, Anko continued. "The second part of the Exam is a mission mock-up. For the next 5 days it will be your job to collect one of each of these." Anko held up two scrolls, a brown one with Earth written on it and a white one with Heaven written on it. "Each team will start with a random copy of one of these scrolls, and you'll have to take one from another team." Anko went on to finish reciting the rest of rules for the second part of the exam. There was shouting from one of the genin about finding food, but Anko mostly ignored it after cracking a joke about the brats eating each other. Bored, and eager to get to the part where the genin started fighting, Anko wrapped her speech up and collected the waivers. "Alright, grab your scrolls from over there and then spread out to find a gate. Try not to die too quickly, m'kay?" Cackling, Anko vanished to find a good watching spot.

* * *

The moment their gate opened, Team 7 rushed into the forest as fast as they could so they'd have cover. Once there, Sasuke motioned them to a halt and addressed Naruto. "Can you make us invisible? All of us?" Sakura perked up, already thinking of the tactical advantages that would give them.

"Maybe." Naruto said, sounding thoughtful. "I'll ask Black Mirage what the limit is on that." Sasuke and Sakura waited quietly, scanning the area for intruders as Naruto retreated into his mind to discuss the idea with his sword. A short while later, he snapped out of it with a 'hmm'. "We can, but not forever, and it's the only thing I'll be able to do. No fighting or anything." Sakura frowned.

"Why? Some of your other illusions were way more complex then invisibility and you didn't have any problem with them." Naruto shrugged.

"It has to do with the limits of my chakra control and my mental focus. Mirage helps, but we've got limits. Multiple constructs is one of those things I'm not good at yet." Sasuke nodded, storing that little bit of information away in a dark corner of his mind.

"It's good enough. Do it and let's go. We'll sneak up on another team and ambush them for their scroll." Drawing Mirage out to make the work easier, Naruto quickly made all three genin vanish from sight. Team 7 jumped away after that, Sasuke scouting for targets while Sakura helped a tightly focused Naruto navigate through the forest without running into anything. Shortly thereafter, a Rain genin in a beige rubber bodysuit jumped into the area, confused.

'_Could have sworn there was someone here just a moment ago…_'

* * *

Orochimaru studied a seemingly empty part of the Forest of Death with the lazy eyes of an indisputably lethal predator. The Snake Sannin had to admit; for as stupid as he looked, Naruto Uzumaki possessed some fair talent for genjutsu. Despite knowing they were there, Orochimaru could only see the faintest glimmers from Team 7's forms as they jumped through the trees. Happily, they seemed to have forgotten to conceal their scents from the Snake Sannin's highly trained sense of smell and one of them wasn't too particularly skilled at moving silently. Chuckling, Orochimaru flipped through a few hand seals. Why chase invisible prey when you can flush them into sight with a simple attack?

"Daitoppa no jutsu(Great Breakthrough technique)."

* * *

Alert for other genin teams to target, Sasuke was the first to notice the veritable wall of wind headed Team 7's way. Instinctively, the Sharingan wielder rooted himself tree branch he was on as Sakura noticed the wind and did the same thing. Neither ninja had time to call out a warning to Naruto who was ripped from his near-trance state by being bodily picked up by the blast of wind and hurled through the canopy of the Forest of Death.

"Son of a bitchhhhhh!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out in fright for her teammate as his body quickly vanished into the distance behind the leaves and branches of the massive trees.

"Sakura, incoming!" Sasuke followed up his warning by grabbing the girl and leaping out of the way of kunai thrown by a Hidden Grass kunoichi appearing from concealment.

"Ku ku ku." The kunoichi laughed in a horribly creepy manner. "Sasuke Uchiha, of the infamous Uchiha clan. This should be _quite_ fun."

Sasuke crouched into a ready position, feeling nervous. Something about this kunoichi was scaring him, even worse then Zabuza's efforts. Who was she?

* * *

"God damnit!" Naruto roared as he crashed through yet another bunch of branches. The blonde ninja was wondering if his flight would ever end when it came to a painfully sudden stop.

_THUD!_ creak tumblethump _Thwack!_ ripcrack _CRASH!_

Naruto groaned weakly, the sudden stop and long, painful fall before the _second_ agonizing stop having removed any desire to do anything but stay very still until it stopped feeling like he was being stabbed every time he breathed. It was, of course, right about then that the big friggin' snake showed up, hissing hungrily.

"Figures." Naruto gasped just as he was swallowed.

* * *

"Show me what you can do Sasuke-kun." The sickly simper was accompanied by a horrific burst of Killing Intent, far more intense then anything the heir of the Uchiha clan had ever experienced. The kunoichi's bloodlust was so intense, Sasuke could see his own death. Shaking, Sasuke blinked rapidly, trying to get himself to move, to get the hell away from that _thing_ disguised as a human being. At his side, Sakura whimpered in fright. The Grass kunoichi made her lazy way down towards the two Konoha ninja, a look of over-done disappointment on her face. "Is this it? Is this all the noble Uchiha clan has come to? How...sad." The kunoichi drew two kunai from her leg pouch and pulled back to throw. As the Grass ninja got ready to hurl her weapons, Sasuke felt his Sharingan activate. The world seemed to slow down as his eyes traced the movements of the enemy kunoichi's arm and chest. She was throwing right now, going to impale him and Sakura straight through their Leaf emblems. He had to...had to...

"Move!" Sasuke screamed, tackling Sakura to the ground as the hurled kunai flew over head. Scrambling madly, Sasuke got his pinkette teammate moving and the two jumped on to the next tree to run away. The Grass kunoichi waited for a moment, giggling to herself.

"And that makes two tomoe."

In the blink of an eye, she vanished.

"Move faster Sakura! We've got to get out of here." The pinkette gasped, but didn't answer, focusing all her energy on running. The two Konoha ninjas were stopped in their headlong flight when an enormous snake appeared. Mouth opening wide, the snake lunged quickly, seeking to devour them whole. Screaming in a primal release of fear and anger, Sasuke hurled a double-handful of shuriken straight into the animal's mouth. The shuriken ripped right the beast's flesh and bones, killing it almost instantly. Sasuke and Sakura panted, recovering from their run and panic. Both ninja stilled when a circle of the snake's skin began jumping and cracking, before the kunoichi emerged, gore simply falling away from her clothes and body.

"Ku ku ku...you seem to be improving. Is it the pressure I wonder? Let's find out, shall we." With that, the kunoichi rushed Sasuke, launching a brutal assault. Sakura jumped away to give Sasuke room as he tried his best to fend the Grass ninja off. Sweating with the effort, Sasuke's Sharingan gave him the bare edge he needed to stay in the fight, but there was simply no way he was going to win like this. Luckily, Sakura gave him a moment to plan by throwing kunai at the Grass kunoichi. Using what time he had from her brief retreat from the weapons, Sasuke reached into his ammo pouch and withdrew several shuriken and lengths of wire. "Prey should know their place!" The Grass kunoichi hissed, angry at Sakura's interference. "You should have been smart and left Sasuke-kun to die at my hands...it might have extended your life a little while longer."

"Take this!" Sasuke screamed, catching the enemy kunoichi's attention. The Grass woman looked back in time to see several shuriken trailing wires fly past her and around the trunk of the tree she had fallen back against. The kunoichi's expression was almost amused as the wired shuriken wrapped around her several times.

"Ooh, what are you going to try now Sasuke-kun?" Glaring, Sasuke transferred his grip on the wires to his teeth and started rapidly forming hand seals. '_Is that…?_'

"Ryuuka no jutsu(Dragon Fire technique)!" Sasuke bellowed, sending a fire technique howling down the wires to smash into the kunoichi. Panting from the chakra use, Sasuke stared into the dying bonfire. '_I got her, I had to have!_' Something stirred in the fires, moving forward. "No." Sasuke breathed, stunned.

"Ku ku ku, not bad. I think you'll do after all." Grinning, the 'kunoichi' ignored the hole burned through the tree and the scattered melted metal. Pulling off the damaged skin that had hidden Orochimaru and allowed him to sneak into the Chuunin Exam. The Snake Sannin laughed while forming strange hand seals.

"Orochimaru." Sakura whispered from nearby. Sasuke flinched. He'd been fighting Orochimaru? One of the legendary three, a ninja so horrible and twisted that the people of Konoha still cursed his name?

"You don't have your brother's eyes, not yet anyways. But you have…potential." The Snake Sannin appeared in front of Sasuke with a burst of speed. "Allow me to give a gift to celebrate that potential." With that, Orochimaru bent forward and bite down on the junction of Sasuke's neck and shoulder. The young boy screamed in pain, and the Snake Sannin let him, happily noting the black marks forming on Sasuke's skin. "Enjoy my gift Sasuke-kun. Come to me if you wish to learn to control it…and kill your brother."

Laughing, the missing-nin sank into the wood beneath his feet and left.

* * *

Groaning, Naruto kept his eyes clenched shut in pain as pressure from the snake's gullet shifted what felt like several broken ribs. He'd already tried crawling his way up the reptile's throat but a broken collar bone and a cracked pelvic bone prevented that. His only real luck was that he was still holding Black Mirage, who was feeling…chatty.

'_Odd. This has got to be the biggest snake I've ever seen. Did you know you're clothes are starting to melt?_' Naruto grimaced angrily.

'_If you've got time to talk, help me damnit!_' Mirage growled back.

'_Don't take that tone with me boy! What do you expect me to do inside some beast's stomach? You're the one with limbs, use them._'

Naruto huffed as Mirage retreated from his conscious. The sword couldn't have cared less. His wielder could handle this if he thought about it, and if he couldn't…well, he wouldn't be the first man to fall in battle with Black Mirage in his hands.

"Damn it, getting eaten sucks!" Mirage felt a flicker of amusement and agreement. The Kyuubi, displaying at least a vague awareness of what was happening, sent feelings of smugness, having never been weak enough to experience such a situation. Mirage ignored the arrogant old demon, more interested in watching Naruto make a few half-assed attempts at freeing himself from the snake's belly. It was annoying, the sword thought, how the boy occasional fell back into his old habits of simply bashing his head into his problems. Still, they'd been making progress and eventually he'd…

"Burn you damn snake!" Roaring in anger and frustration, Naruto molded a large amount of chakra into his right hand. Slamming his hand into the snake's flesh, Naruto allowed his wrath to shape the ensuing flames as they would, the name of this form slipping from his lips without thought.

"Kitsune-bi Sousou(Foxfire Funeral)."

Had it been capable of such noises, the snake's screams of agony and fear would have been heard as far as Konoha as it began to burn to death from the inside out. Instead, the snake hissed and trashed, every muscle in its body twitching from every second of the torture it suffered. In the course of minutes it's wild movements slowed, and then stopped as enough of the snake's bones and flesh had burned away that it could no longer move. It felt every instant of it though, until the fires finally reached it's heart and ended it's suffering. With the snake's death, the flames increased their speed, burning away the corpse quickly, revealing a heavily injured but un-burnt Naruto laying on the ground. Silently, the blonde crawled along the forest floor until he encountered a broken off tree branch large enough to serve as a crunch. Sliding Mirage away, Naruto took up the branch and began limping back towards his team. Exhausted and injured, Naruto completely failed to notice the dozens of eyes watching him from the shadows.

* * *

_Original Technique list:_

Kitsune-Bi Sousou(Foxfire Funeral): A pure ninjutsu technique used only by Naruto Uzumaki, Foxfire Funeral is a very dangerous technique, to both it's victim and user. Considered a B-rank attack technique, Foxfire Funeral can only be employed if the user makes physical contact with its intended target. Once contact is made, the shaped energy is released into the target where it begins to burn from the contacted flesh radiating outwards. The flames advance at the same rate no matter the size or composition of the target. However, Foxfire Funeral can be resisted through the use of chakra. The danger to the wielder of the technique comes from the fact that a skilled or powerful enough opponent can actually turn the technique back on it's user. Individuals like Tsunade Senju and Kisame Hoshigaki are dangerous targets for Foxfire Funeral, and are better attacked with other methods.

Kitsune-Bi Akuma no Jutsu(Foxfire Devil technique): A mysterious technique, Foxfire Devil has never been seen up close by any being still alive except for its only known user; Naruto Uzumaki. Manifesting as a 100' tall fox, the size and shape of its inspiration, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Foxfire Devil technique's full abilities and limits are unknown but it has been observed to create lasting aftereffects, the most notably of which are the 4 bonfires burning at the corners of the Naruto Foxfire Bridge in Wave country. Said to be able to ward off evil spirits, there is talk of high ranking priests coming soon to investigate the claims about these fires.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Orochimaru makes his appearance! It seems that Sasuke can't avoid getting branded, but Naruto dodges a 5 Element Seal from old Snake-face thanks to a messed up ride on Air Daitoppa. Some changes here and there. You all probably noticed that Lee didn't fight Sasuke. Why would he need to when he watched Sasuke fight already?

I can already feel glares burning into my head from the original jutsu list not fully explaining the Foxfire Devil technique. But, sad for you, I want it to be a bit of a surprise. So, till then.


	7. Chapter 7

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"An ounce of uncertainty, that's all it takes to spell your end. Do you even _think_ you have the strength to withstand my magic?" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

**Opening Note:** Someone asked if Naruto's Kitsune-Bi can burn the soul. No, he can't, as a non-Kitsune he can't get it to full power. That would be all kinds of cool, but that would make fighting Pein really frickin' easy later. Little too easy, sorry.

* * *

Sakura sighed, struggling to stay awake. She'd been badly drained by the attack on her team, and that wasn't even considering the amount of effort it had taken to get both of her teammates to the hollow of a tree she'd found and prepared. Luckily, Naruto had been conscious for the move and semi-mobile. He'd even stayed awake long enough to give her some creative pointers on the 'preparations' she'd made to their current campsite after the move. The pinkette shivered, not sure if it was because of some of Naruto's suggestions or the memory of the damage Naruto had sustained in his short absence. The kunoichi glanced back at her teammates, quietly noting that Sasuke was still feverish though 12 hours of coma-like sleep had apparently done Naruto a world of good. The blonde's breathing suggested that his ribs were still paining him, but for the most part, Naruto wasn't nearly in as bad as shape as he should have been considering how he'd first looked. Turning back to keep watch on the forest, Sakura couldn't help but wonder how her blonde teammate was healing so fast. And, did it have anything to do with the seemingly limitless stamina and energy he possessed? She'd seen him train hours long after anyone their age should have collapsed. This wasn't even the first timed he'd heal so fast, come to think of it. He'd slipped a time or two with his sword when their team had first started training together and the resulting gashes had closed and disappeared far faster then they should have. On their own even!

'_I wonder…that healing, that energy. Does Naruto have a…?_'

Movement.

In a snap, Sakura was wide awake, kunai clenched defensively. Scanning the foliage, Sakura barely moved, hardly breathed. No matter who it was that attacked them, she was going to have to be brilliant. She was the planner of the group, not the fighter, and defending her weakened teammates was going to be a nasty challenge, especially three-on-one. Thank kami for all the…

"Squirrel?" Sakura blurted dumbly. What the hell was a squirrel doing running right at her?

* * *

In the bushes across the clearing, three of Orochimaru's genin-level minions watched the squirrel they had slapped an Exploding Note on and Genjutsu'd into running at the pink-haired leaf kunoichi. The leader of the group, Dosu, grunted as his teammate Kin spoke up. "You think she saw the Tag?"

"Who cares?" The third genin, Zaku, spat. "Let's just kill the bitch and the Uchiha like Orochimaru-sama ordered us to."

"There is something else going on here." Dosu said. "But we've waited long enough. Go."

After scaring away the crazed squirrel with a shuriken, Sakura had hoped that it was just a random occurrence. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, three people stepped out of hiding wearing a forehead guard she wasn't familiar with. Sakura swallowed nervously as the bandage-covered boy spoke.

"Move or die. We're here to kill Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura twitched, not looking back at her still-unconscious crush.

"I won't let you kill Sasuke-kun. Go away, or else!" The other boy on the team snorted and started approaching.

"As if a bitch like you could do anything to us." Suddenly, Dosu called out.

"Stop Zaku." The other scowled, but did as he was told.

"What?" Ignoring the tone, Dosu moved up and crouched next to the patch of grass Zaku had been about to step on. Using a kunai to avoid touching anything, Dosu casually flipped the patch over, revealing that it was a cut up piece of turf hiding something buried in the dirt.

"Pathetic. The turf doesn't even match the grass around it." Dosu straightened up and stepped back. "Jump over it, and lets get this over with." As the three unfamiliar genin leapt over her 'poorly concealed' trap, Sakura smirked, one hand reaching out to cut a wire hidden next to her. The Sound genin noticed the change in her expression, and thus were not too terribly surprised when a giant fucking log came swinging at them. "Oh…not bad." Dosu allowed, bringing his right arm, his left hand forming a hand seal. "A trap in a trap, effective, if we were weaklings." With a pulse of chakra, Dosu's Melody device destroyed the log scattering chunks of wood and…

"Oh shit!" Kin squeaked as a dozen Exploding Notes danced through the air with the genin, each and every one of the tags ignited by the chakra of Dosu's attack. On the ground, Sakura threw herself behind one of the exposed tree roots that formed the hollow her team was sheltering in. The Exploding Notes went off a moment later with a thunderous roar.

* * *

Nearby, Lee had just finished removing an Exploding Note from back of an innocent squirrel when a large explosion rumbled through the Forest of Death. Eyes wide in surprise, Lee turned to watch the fires of the explosion settle and disappear. "Ohh! It seems that someone's Flames of Youth have truly erupted!" With no one around, Lee decided to chuckle a little at his own wit, at least until his mind made the possible connection between that explosion and the tag he'd taken off the squirrel. Leaping into action, Lee declared "I shall not allow such unyouthful torture of innocent woodland creatures to continue!"

* * *

Even closer to the source of the explosion, team 10 stared in shock. "W-what?" Ino stuttered. "What was that?" Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, mind churning through the available details and facts.

"Let's go." Ino and Choji stared at their lazy friend.

"Where to?" Choji asked through a mouthful of food.

"Towards the explosion. We'll observe the fight and gather data. If both teams have been weakened enough, we'll take their scrolls." Ino laughed delightedly as they moved.

"Don't screw this up boys, I want to impress Sasuke-kun with my wit and skills!"

* * *

"You bitch!" Zaku howled, clutching one of the many gashes that had been carved into his skin by the explosion while writhing on the ground. The genin was a mess, but still, he was better off then his female teammate who was barely conscious and bleeding out. Dosu, the strongest of three had come out of the trap with just minor injuries thanks to a quick Kawarimi. However, the heavily bandaged boy was extremely _pissed off_! Snarling, the team leader charged through the cloud of smoke and dust caused by the explosion, heading straight for the hollow hiding his target and protector. Sakura, meanwhile, nervously watched for any movement through the debris cloud. If that trap didn't work…she was in trouble. A billow in the cloud was the only warning Sakura had but it was enough to let her keep her head intact as Dosu charged out the cloud and swung with his right fist, a strange metal device on his arm humming. Rolling out of the way of the blow, Sakura stood up in a defensive stance and nearly threw up as the world seemed to dissolve. Dosu watched carefully as the pink-haired kunoichi dropped to her knees, complexion and expression becoming…painful. Once the Sound ninja was satisfied that she was in no shape to fight back, Dosu let fly with a kick into the girl's ribs before heading out of the hollow to check on the status of the other two Sound genin. The debris was settling down, letting Dosu see his teammates. Zaku was starting to stand up, growling from the pain. Kin was still lying on the ground, bleeding.

'_Damn it. I can't believe this little leaf-whore managed to hurt us like this. Kin might not survive, and Zaku is in bad shape._' Dosu glanced down at the pink-haired kunoichi struggling at his feet to overcome the effects of his Melody Arm. '_It'll be best to finish this quickly. I don't want to find out what other traps this bitch has up her sleeve._' Raising his arm up to finish the pinkette, Dosu noted with cruel amusement that the girl reaching for her dropped kunai. "Try all you want weakling, it's over now…"

"Dynamic Entry!" Dosu whirled in shock at the shout just in time to see Zaku get kicked in the head by some hairy, spandex-clad freak. Settling into a dramatic pose, the freak flashed a brilliant smile and a thumbs-up. "I will not allow you to attack my follow ninja when they are unable to defend themselves! If you wish to fight, I, Rock Lee, the Green Beast of Konoha will face you!" Switching to a more martial stance, Lee readied himself for battle. Growling angrily under his breath, Dosu leapt out of the hollow as much to have room to maneuver as to dodge a stab from Sakura.

'_Shit. Zaku and Kin are down, and this bastard is looking to fight. This was suppose to be easy, just kill some weakling Leaf genin and now…_'

"Sempai!" Sakura shouted, recalling the older boy from the tourney after graduation. "The device on his arm causes disorientation if it gets close to you!" Dosu swore vilely as Lee nodded in acknowledgement. His Melody Arm was Dosu's ace card, and aces worked best when they weren't expected. Meanwhile, Lee was looking past Dosu to stare at Sakura. Even dirtied up by the Second Exam, she was beautiful. Lee had noticed her at the post-graduation tourney and had since been working up the nerve to confess to her. This wasn't exactly the setting he would have preferred, but as Guy-sensei said, one must be ready to embrace the Flames of Youth when they flare unexpectedly.

"Thank you Sakura-chan. You do not need to worry now. I will protect you while you rest." Flashing another brilliant smile to his crush, Lee lunged forward.

"Zankuuha!(Decapitating Air Waves)" Halfway through his charge, Lee was hit from the side by a Fuuton attack from the genin he'd kicked away earlier. Dosu rushed after the Leaf genin, ready to take advantage of the opening. Sakura watched in worry as the wounded wind-user staggered away from the tree he'd used to climb back to his feet and stumble towards the fight with murder in his eyes. Having never seen the older boy fight, Sakura was worried about his chances. Turning, Sakura crawled over to her teammates, heading for the boy who seemed in best fighting shape. Stopping next to Naruto, the pinkette began shaking the blonde.

"Naruto! Naruto, Lee-sempai needs help!"

Sakura fell back, gasping, as Naruto's eyes snapped open. There were only hints of the normal bright blue, swirling in with dozens of other colors that spanned across Naruto eyes. "N-Naruto?" The blonde grunted, sitting up with a wince.

"Sakura, what's going on?" Sakura quickly explained, watching the prismatic shades fade away. To one side, Sasuke began twitching, tendrils of dark purple chakra starting to push their way across Sasuke's skin unseen.

* * *

Riding the Fuuton attack, Lee landed on a tree trunk in a crouch with nothing more then a few nicks. Movement in the corner of his eye caught Lee's attention and he leapt away with plenty of time to avoid a punishing hit from Dosu that cratered the tree. Twisting mid-leap, Lee quickly surveyed the battlefield. The foreign kunoichi was now unconscious, the wind-user was staggering but looked angry enough to keep fighting, and the bandaged ninja was chasing him once again. Sakura was nowhere in sight. Landing in a crouch, Lee spotted Dosu charging him and leaped again, frowning. The spandex-clad teen trusted Sakura's judgment enough to avoid the object attached to the other genin's arm, but how was he supposed to defeat the Sound ninja without getting close to him? Dashing across the forest floor to dodge another Zankuuha from Zaku, Lee spotted a chunk of tree trunk from Sakura's trap…and had a very clever idea.

* * *

"Damnit!" Zaku hissed as he stumbled over to his conscious teammate. Dosu grunted, having lost sight of the green-clad genin among the trees. The ridiculous spandex served as fair camouflage locally it seemed…

"Shut up Zaku, I'm trying to listen for his heart…" Dosu paused, hearing a grunt of exertion from the trees. "What the…fuck!" Both teens dove wildly for cover as a 5' long, 3' wide mass of wood flew through the trees and demolished just about everything in its path.

"What the hell was that!" Zaku shouted wildly while fresh lances of pain stabbed through him.

"A tree trunk." Dosu said grimly. "Thrown like a damn kunai."

"I apologize for the lack of accuracy my unyouthful opponents, but I am not used to such projectiles. Do not worry though, my aim shall improve shortly!" Dosu and Zaku exchanged worried looks.

'_Shit…_'

* * *

Team 10 stared incredulously from their tree-top hiding spots as the silly looking/acting boy from team 9 started hurling several-hundred pound wood chunks like toys. "Holy kami!" Ino breathed. "How's he _doing_ that?"

"Raw strength or chakra enhancement." Shikamaru said grimly. "Either way, there's no way we are going to try to take him in straight combat. He's too fast and strong. Let's let him deal with these two and check on Sakura and the other kunoichi." Choji and Ino nodded and all three quickly left.

* * *

Naruto swore as a flying tree trunk nearly took his head off. What the hell was up with him and bizarre projectiles? Zabuza's sword, himself, and now a freakin' tree trunk? "Why is my life so weird?"

"_You're a 13 year old ninja and a Jinchuuriki. Haven't we discussed this before?_"

"…_maybe. Let's just get ready to help the guy in green._" Hopping onto some low-hanging branches, Naruto scanned the area for the battling ninja. A series of deafening crashes from the east let him know the way and the blonde headed out.

* * *

Team 10 jumped down into the blasted clearing where the Sound kunoichi was still laying. Sweeping the clearing with his eyes, Shikamaru grunted. Long association with the boy meant both Ino and Choji knew that meant that there weren't any traps that the Nara boy could see. Smirking, Ino gestured for Shikamaru and Choji to search the unconscious kunoichi while she dealt with Sakura. Hands on her hips, Ino walked to where she could see into the hollow Sakura was hiding in. "Ohhh Forehead…is Sasuke-kun in there with you?"

"Go away Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun is sick and he doesn't need you bothering him!" Ino scowled, moving closer.

"As if Sasuke-kun wouldn't me to be with him!" Ino went to step closer to Sasuke, but had to jump back to dodge a shuriken from Sakura. "What the hell Forehead?" Sakura stepped out of the hollow, holding a kunai, looking determined.

"I told you, Sasuke-kun is sick. Go away and leave us alone!" As Ino started marching towards the pinkette with an angry look on her face, Choji and Shikamaru stood back. The Akimichi boy looked bored, eating one of his emergency bags of potato chips. Shikamaru looked disgruntled. He remembered some of the girl's fights, and he wasn't looking forward to yet another screaming match, especially in the middle of a combat oriented field-test. Still, what are the chances that he could convince someone as stubborn and hard-head as Ino to shut up?

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered under his breath as the two kunoichi started yelling at each other in earnest.

* * *

"Zankuuha!" Zaku screamed tiredly, arms shaking in exertion. Dosu ran ahead of the wind-user, using a kunai and his Melody gauntlet to clear a path. Normally, the two genins would have competed fiercely to achieve their assigned goal and left each other to twist in the wind, but even the most self-centered people had the tendency to band together in the face of Death. In this case, Zaku was too weakened from his wounds to run through the undergrowth for long and Dosu had no chance of dodging those tree chunks for long without the wind-user deflecting them. Dosu shot a quick look over his shoulder at Zaku, noting that the other genin was starting to crash from his wounds and intense chakra use. They needed to complete their mission…_now_.

"Zaku! We're going to head back to clearing and take of the Uchiha!"

"About damn time!" Zaku gasped. "I'm sick of dealing with that green freak."

"**Sorry, but I'm afraid that won't be possible, jerks**." Both Sound genin twitched as the growling demonic voice echoed through the forest while world around them began to dissolve and run into a swirling curtain of riotous color. "**I don't like his 'I'm better then you' attitude, but he's my teammate and I won't let you kill him. Instead, I'm going to let you be the judge of one of my new techniques. Uzumaki Clan Technique: Waking Nightmare!**"

Zaku and Dosu screamed and swore as hell arrived.

* * *

Lee was ripping another chunk of tree free to throw at Dosu and Zaku when he heard a deep, inhuman voice echo through the trees. Pausing, the burgeoning Taijutsu specialist noted that the voice sounded familiar despite the inhuman quality. When the voice referred to Sasuke as a teammate, Lee figured that it was Naruto using some sort voice-altering jutsu. The spandex wearing boy started looking around for the blonde, at least until the Sound genin started screaming in fear and anger. Distracted, Lee let go of his latest half-freed projectile and watched his two targets start randomly moving around and attacking things that only they could see. The one in the bandages seemed much calmer about it, but it was still obvious he was trapped in Naruto's technique. Nodding to himself, Lee leapt into the trees and began looking for the younger genjutsu-user, keeping one eye on the foreign ninja. He didn't want to get caught off guard if they escaped the illusion.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed as Ino and Sakura continued shouting at each other at migraine inducing volumes. Choji had muttered something about the girls actually fighting but the Nara boy knew it wasn't like to result in anything but scratches and bruises even if they did start really going at each other. He was on the other hand, concerned about Naruto would do if he came and saw them confronting his teammates or if Sasuke woke up. The Uchiha heir wasn't a pleasant person to begin with and getting beaten like he'd obviously been wasn't likely to improve his mood. As for Naruto, he'd been making a lot of changes in his behavior lately and Shikamaru hadn't yet refigured the boy out. Add in a talent for genjutsu(which team 10 knew little about) and it was just better for them if he didn't attack. Sakura and Ino were shouting something propriety and how each girl wasn't doing something right when team 10 and Sakura heard a pair of terrified screams from not so far away. To Shikamaru's relief, both girls fell silent as everyone turned to face the direction the screams came from.

"What was that about?" Choji mumbled around a mouthful of chips. "They sounded completely terrified."

"That came from where Lee-sempai and Naruto went…along with the two boys from that girl's team." Sakura said, waving at the rather pale and unconscious girl on the ground.

"Lee-sempai?" Ino asked blinking.

"The silly looking boy in the green spandex. He seems nice, but really weird. He came out of no where and chased the rest of the Sound team away after the trap went off." Ino opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't get a word out before a foul and intense chakra flared to life behind them all. Surprised, all four turned around, mouths dropping.

Standing there surrounded by a dark and violent chakra was Sasuke, glaring at them all with his Sharingan activated. Even worse, flame like symbols burnt their way across the Uchiha's skin giving him a cruel air. Ignoring Sakura, Sasuke stepped forward, clenching and unclenching his fist as he stared at team 10.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said hesitatingly. She didn't like the feel of the chakra around her crush. It felt so…evil.

"What are you weaklings doing here?" Sasuke growled out, continuing to ignore his female teammate. The Uchiha heir was far more interested in the rush of power and strength that he was feeling from the mark on his shoulder. He had no clue why the notorious Snake Sannin had given him the mark but all this power; it felt good.

"We're just stopped by to say 'hello' Sasuke-kun!" Ino chirped cheerfully, trying to be friendly despite horrid aura surrounding her crush. Sasuke stared a moment longer before smiling evilly. These three were not much, but it would at least give him a taste of what his new power could do. "Give me your scroll…or else."

Ino's smile turned brittle. "But Sasuke-kun, how are we going to pass if we give you our scroll?"

"I don't care if you pass or not. It doesn't matter to me if weaklings like you get promoted. Give me the scroll or I'll take it." Team 10 back away uneasily as Sasuke got ready to fight.

"Would you really attack a fellow Leaf genin?" Shikamaru asked, aiming for a casual tone. The young shadow-user had no intention of fighting whatever force was pouring off of Sasuke, but knew enough about people not to sound weak. Weakness invited attack, ninjas knew. Sasuke stopped, eyes losing focus for a moment. Team 10 relaxed slightly, thinking that the Uchiha heir had come back to his senses. Then he smirked.

"Except…we are enemies in this Exam." Sakura screamed at her teammate as he attacked team 10.

* * *

Eyes closed, Naruto breathed slowly and evenly as he focused on his illusions. The big one he had going on at the moment was Waking Nightmare on both Dosu and Zaku. He also had an Invisibility illusion on himself. It was taking all his focus to do this by himself, but it was necessary. While chasing Lee and the two Sound ninja Naruto had spotted Lee's teammates heading straight for Sakura and Sasuke. Black Mirage had volunteered to take care of that and currently had the Hyuuga boy and the girl with buns running in circles. Eventually, N-something and Buns(Naruto wasn't great with names) would figure it out so he had Waking Nightmare at full power to wear down the Sound ninja but the bandaged one was still standing.

'_Man, band-aid boy is definitely the tough one. How much longer is this going to take?_'

"Sasuke, stop it! Please stop hurting them!"

Naruto jumped slightly at the sound of Sakura's voice, losing focus on his invisibility technique and fading into sight. "Shit!" The blonde swore. "What's going on over there?" Naruto glanced down at the two ninja and decided that they were dealt with for now. He had to figure out what was happening to his team. Standing, Naruto leapt from his hiding spot and rushed for Sakura and Sasuke. Unseen, Lee followed after the blonde having spotted the sudden movement. The green clad teen was also worried having heard his new-found love scream.

Meanwhile, Dosu stood trembling over Zaku. The genin was tired and shaken, but bound and fucking determined to kill the bastard that had done this to him…and maybe kill Sasuke Uchiha at some point. Stiffly, Dosu bent and grabbed Zaku.

"Stupid fool…you've wasted so much of your chakra we don't stand a chance at fighting now. We'll have to try later." Carefully, Dosu stalked toward the clearing that likely still held his third teammate. He still needed Kin if they were going to continue the Exam and get a second shot at killing the Uchiha.

* * *

When Sasuke moved, the other teens present could barely track his movements. Recalling the mini-tourney, Sasuke attacked Shikamaru first, a blow to the stomach driving the wind from the Nara boy. Taking a half step to the side Sasuke brought both hands together over his head and slammed them down on Shikamaru's back, flooring the boy. Any plans to further beat down the shadow-user were forgotten when Choji roared and charged, determined to drive the chakra-maddened Uchiha away from his best friend. Dodging a punch from the heavy-set boy, Sasuke smirked.

"Is that the best you can do, you flabby weakling?" Sasuke expected the Akimichi spout some bullshit about not being weak, but instead he paused. "Giving up already?"

"I'M NOT FAT YOU FAGGOT SON OF A BITCH!" Even with the Cursed Seal blazing Sasuke blinked in shock. Then he grunted as a fist that felt like a boulder smashed into him. Flying back in a slid, Sasuke barely managed to stay on his feet. As he came to a halt, Sasuke snarled in rage that he'd been caught off guard like that. Seeing Choji charging again, Sasuke took off at top speed. The Akimichi boy barely had time to realize that Sasuke wasn't in front of him any more before the Uchiha appeared next to him and clothes-lined Choji's throat…_hard_. Even super-pissed the big-boned boy wasn't going to simply be able to shake that off and went into a tumbling spin as his feet left the ground. Choji landed with a pained grunt and a crash as Sasuke turned towards Ino with a malicious grin. As the blonde kunoichi backed away, shaking in fright after seeing her two teammates being put down so easily, Sakura couldn't stand it anymore.

"Sasuke, stop it! Please stop hurting them!"

"Shut up Sakura!" Sasuke didn't even look at his female teammate as he snapped at her. Sakura flinched at her crush's tone as the boy in question rushed Ino. Shrieking, Ino closed her eyes, knowing she wasn't fast enough to dodge. But, seconds passed and she didn't feel anything hit her. Ino opened her eyes and found Sasuke standing frozen in position. Ino's gaze quickly dropped and confirmed her suspicion. A shadow was extending from Shikamaru to Sasuke, freezing him in place.

"Good work Shika!" Ino quickly moved away from the boy who was very quickly losing his place as the love of her life.

"Move faster Ino, that weird chakra is making it hard to hold him!"

"Moving! Are you ok Choji?" The heavy set boy's response was garbled but he was getting up. There was a flash of color as Sakura darted out of her cover to run up to Sasuke and wrap the boy in her arms.

"Stop this Sasuke! Stop hurting our friends!" Sasuke did not seem to want to calm down, and tried to escape Sakura's grip but she was clinging to him like a leech. As team 10 watched, the Uchiha heir slowly stopped producing the dark chakra and settled down. Shikamaru and Choji watched in disbelief as Sakura cried and mumbled something into Sasuke's back. Ino peeked out at the drama taking place from her hiding place behind Choji.

"Oh man, what's going on?"

"Sakura-chan, you are alright!"

Naruto and Lee arrived at roughly the same time, looking no worse for wear. Naruto looked slightly surprised when Lee popped up next to him, but quickly calmed down. Lee for his part simply brushed the dirt off of himself accumulated from digging up projectiles before flashing a thumbs up and a shining smile to Sakura.

"Now that you are alright, I must go now Sakura-chan. But before I do, I must tell you this; you are truly a beautiful blossom and I look forward to meeting you again!" With a wink and a blown kiss Lee leapt into the trees and disappeared. There was an intense silence as everyone stared after the departed ninja, which was broken by a sudden loud laughter from Naruto.

"Bwa-Hahahaha! Seriously? Haheheh!" Sakura recovered from the shock the instant she heard her teammate laughing at her situation.

"Naruto! This isn't funny! He just..just…"

"Sakura." Team 7 and 10 were caught off guard by the suddenly serious tone that Naruto used. "After seeing that, I just have to face facts." Struggling to maintain a straight face, Naruto continued. "I'm going to step aside and let you and Lee pursue your new relationship." There were some muffled snickers as Sakura turned various colors before stalking towards Naruto. Sakura was moments away from beating the ever-living shit out of Naruto when a gray blur shot into the clearing. The Leaf genin snapped to attention in time to see Dosu snag his female teammate and run like Hell. "Shit!" Naruto blurted. "They've still got their scroll!" Letting Black Mirage flow back into his rune, Naruto took off after the three Sound genin. Pumping his chakra to get ready for the coming fight, Naruto reached for a handful of shuriken. As soon as he had an open shot, Naruto left fly with the throwing weapons. Up ahead, Dosu heard a buzzing sound and turned his head enough to see shuriken coming at him.

"Shit." The genin muttered, barely dodging the weapons with both his teammates on his shoulders. Recalling Naruto's Killing Intent from the first Exam, Dosu quickly decided that he had one good choice; fighting wasn't an option with two useless teammates. Using chakra to stick Kin to his shoulder for a moment Dosu reached into his clothes and retrieved the Earth Scroll his team had been given. Launching himself off a tree branch for lift, Dosu spun and hurled the scroll at Naruto. The blonde started to dodge, but then recognized the scroll and dove after it swearing. By the time he recovered the damn thing, Dosu and the other Sound genin had vanished into the Forest of Death. Sighing, Naruto turned around and headed back to his fellow Leaf ninja. Once he got back, Naruto waited impatiently for Team 10 to leave before grinning to his own teammates.

"Hey, guess what I got? Naruto grinned, waving the Earth Scroll he'd gotten.

Sakura cheered and even Sasuke managed a small smile.

* * *

**Author's Note:** A short chapter, but the preliminaries are next and I wanted to start on that one fresh. To appease you all, I offer this: all the matches in the prelims will be randomly selected. Should be some fun match ups. Lee's confession to Sakura probably seemed weak, but it IS the middle of a life or death exam. Anyways, there'll be more on that later(maybe). For those of you curious about Lee's Log Tossing rampage, I figured that someone who'd fought with Tenten for a year would have no trouble making the connection of 'Hey, I can throw this at people'. Plus, Lee makes me think of one of my buddy's DnD characters who looked to uproot trees and use them like clubs.

Anyways, get ready for action!


	8. Chapter 8

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Bwa-hahah! You think just because you have _True Seeing_ you can slaughter me like vermin? Did your god not tell you, Celestial? I studied war-magic before mastering illusions and I fought my way to infamy as a swordsman first!" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

**Opening Note**: Forgot to put a description of 'Waking Nightmare' on the last chapter. It's at the bottom of this one.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if dealing with the stupidity of weaklings was the price of power.

Almost from the moment Team 7 had entered the central tower of the Forest of Death Sasuke had been catching shit for his…minor loss of self-control. So he'd beaten on those pussies from Team 10; its not like he killed them. But no. Shortly after arriving at the tower they'd figured out the secret in the scrolls. After Iruka arrived and greetings were exchanged, the Chuunin had gone on to explain the 'hidden meaning' behind the Heaven/Earth theme of the scrolls, an explanation that Sasuke had paid no attention to. He'd learned all he needed to know about gaining strength the night his family had been slaughtered. The Uchiha snapped to attention though when Sakura tearfully informed the Academy instructor of Sasuke's indiscretion in the Forest. Naruto and Sasuke were both surprised that Sakura would tattle on her long-time crush but the pinkette had NOT liked the feel of that chakra at all and seeing Sasuke attack Ino of all people because of it pushed her into telling the first authority figure she could find instead of keeping it to herself as she might have in other circumstances. Sasuke's last sight of his teammates for the next few days had been Naruto trying not to laugh as Sakura stared after the Uchiha heir in a mix of shame and determination. After that, the next few days had nothing but an endless and faceless swarm of medic-nin and ANBU lead by Ibiki. Sasuke was poked and prodded, interrogated and questioned and generally harassed as they relentlessly dug into exactly what had happened in the Forest after he finally woke up. Sasuke, knowing that he would not look well in that incident, attempted to resist.

It did not end well for him.

All too soon, Sasuke was forced to reveal what had really happened. The strange dreams he'd had, where and how he received the mark(which he overheard called the Cursed Seal while they placed some sort of containing seal over it), and just exactly what he had done with that addictively pleasant surge of power. Calling it addictively pleasant quickly proved to be a mistake but luckily, his 'forceful debriefing' ended the 5th day of the Second Exam when the Sandaime Hokage walked into his cell. There was a full discussion about the situation, but it amounted to this; Sasuke had fucked up. Attacking a fellow Leaf ninja or civilian, especially so viciously, without severe provocation was grounds for a court martial and/or a lengthy prison sentence. And, as a genin, Sasuke did not have a long history of loyal service or the priceless knowledge or the skills that would get such a nasty incident swept 'under the rug' so to speak. As the elderly ninja informed the Uchiha heir, the ONLY thing keeping him from a prison sentence was the memory of his clan's service to Konoha and the Cursed Seal on his neck. However, he would not be forgiven a second time. In the end, Sasuke was given a 6 month probation, informed that he would NOT be advancing in rank during this period, and that any further problems would result in him receiving the full sentences from the attack in the Forest and whatever punishment would normally assigned for whatever 'Bone-headed, chicken-shit stupidity' that Sasuke was involved in next time.

Given that the 'God of Shinobi' was producing enough Killing Intent to outdo Naruto's best efforts when he said this, Sasuke quickly swallowed his pride and agreed to the terms.

Eventually, Sasuke was given his gear back and a pair of ANBU escorted him to a large stone chamber in the base of the tower. Sasuke noted that 20 of his fellow genin were gathered in the middle of the room in ranks, all facing a stone statue of arms and hands forming a hand seal and the Hokage who was addressing the genin from a balcony that went around most of the room. As Sasuke moved to take a spot in the ranks, he quickly noticed the various looks being directed at him from Leaf Shinobi. No doubt Naruto had been all too glad to spread the word of what had happened in the Forest of Death. Finally tuning into the Hokage's speech, Sasuke heard the villager leader be interrupted by a sickly looking Special Jounin.

"If you don't mind Hokage-sama, I, Hayate Gekkou, the Third Exam proctor will continue." Turning to face the genin, Hayate explained that there were too many genin left for the Third Exam. Many important individuals came to watch the Third Exam and thus they could only last a single day. They would be holding preliminaries with just a few simple rules. No outside interference, killing was allowed, and the match ended when he said it ended…or else. "One final thing. From here on, everything is done in single matches. Those of you who wish to retire for one reason or another may do so now without consequence to your teammates." Hayate paused here, eyeing the genin. Despite offering the option, the proctor was surprised when one of the genin took him up on it. Kabuto Yakushi retired from the field, claiming unhealed injuries from the Second Exam. This was meet with skepticism and furious whispers as he left, especially since Kin of Sound was still competing despite still being injured from Sakura's trap. Up top orders were quietly given out as Hayate had an electronic screen slid into view and began flashing through the names of the genin present. Quickly, the screen stopped, displaying the first two fighters.

**Dosu Kinuta VS Kankurou**

"If your name is not displayed on the screen, please depart the floor and wait for your match on the balcony." The genin did so readily, filing up the stairs towards their Jounin sensei. Despite the limited room, Sasuke found himself in an empty space among the Leaf ninjas. Clenching his fists, the Uchiha heir ignored them. What did they really matter…even if it was annoying that Ino was hiding behind her teammates again. On the ground floor, Kankurou smirked confidently as Dosu settled into a ready stance.

"Mind as well give up Oto-nin. You can't beat me." Dosu merely snorted.

"Begin." Hayate coughed out, jumping out of the way. Dosu charged instantly, drawing his Melody Arm back to swing. Kankurou didn't move an inch, grinning evilly as the Sound ninja closed in. Dosu's eyes narrowed as he slammed a punch right into the larger boy's chest and sent a blast of debilitating sound straight into Kankurou's ear.

'_What is this sand-fool thinking, just taking my_…' Dosu's train of thought derailed as the older genin seemed to completely ignore the attack and punched back. Dodging, Dosu tried again with no more effect then the first blast. "What the hell?" Dosu spat. "Do all the 'Great' 5 Hidden Villages produce freaks and monsters like you?" Cackling, Kankurou charged in a movement that seemed too smooth to be human, sliding across the floor and launching a furious attack. "Let's see you fight without your head you bastard!" Charging in behind a wild punch, Dosu slammed his fist into the other boy's chest again and sent a far more destructive pulse of sound this time. To the Sound ninja's utter shock Kankurou's skin dissolved into a spray of sand revealing a clockwork face with three eyes.

"Asshole." Came the muffled comment from the real Kankurou as the puppet stand-in opened his mouth and fired senbon needles into the surprised Oto-nin's neck and shoulders. He collapsed moments after that, unable to do more then stagger away.

"A puppet-user." Kakashi murmured up in the balcony as medics appeared to take Dosu away and check over Kankurou who waved it off. "Not too surprising. They're famous for it after all."

"Kakashi-sensei, isn't that cheating?" Naruto's loud voice caught the attention of most of the ninja in the room, and the masked Jounin's response really got the foreign ninja wondering.

"It's the same as you using Black Mirage. It's a tool, no matter how strange or frighteningly powerful it might be. Ok?" Naruto nodded as Hayate called the next two names.

**Shikamaru Nara VS Sakura Haruno**

Striding down to face her opponent, Sakura was struck by the sudden realization that being the level-headed planner and cunning strategist fighter was impressive, but being the 'super-genius' fighter would be much easier if she had some sort surprise talent or skill like, oh say, the ability to manipulate shadows to act as the finisher. "Why did it have to be Shikamaru?" Sakura breathed to herself as both ninja took up their starting stances. Sakura was justly proud of her intellect and analytical abilities and felt confident that she could eventually out-think just about any other genin…except for a prodigy from a clan _known_ for those exact same skills.

"Begin." The moment the match started, Sakura snatched a pair of shuriken from her ammo pouch and hurled them at Shikamaru. As the shadow user cursed and dodged the weapons, Sakura delved back into her pouch and produced an Exploding Note which she wrapped around another shuriken and tossed it between the two fighters. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow, wondering what his opponent was up to. When the smoke cleared, Sakura was nowhere in sight. Grunting, Shikamaru's eyes flickered up towards the crowd on the balcony. The crowd had a better view of the situation, and at least a few of the genin would have seen where she hid. It was a bit like cheating, but he was a ninja, and he had to use what he had.

'_There!_' Following the gazes of the other genin, Shikamaru attacked. "Kage Mane no Jutsu(Shadow Imitation technique)." Squawking, Sakura dove out her cover at the base of the hand-seal statue. Rolling along the floor, Sakura scrambled to keep ahead of the shadow, remembering what it could do. Waiting until Shikamaru was forced to withdraw his shadow, Sakura counter-attacked. Creating two Bunshins, Sakura charged, weaving in and out of her copies to confuse the boy. Sighing, Shikamaru easily tracked her, and dodged her first strike. Stepping back to avoid her next few attacks, Shikamaru debated on how to best defeat Sakura without causing her great amounts of damage. '_Quitting is tempting, but if I don't at least make a showing at the Third Exam, mother will be…troublesome._' Sakura was sticking too close for him to use the terrain; it looked like he'd have to actually get in there and fight. Using something he'd picked up dealing with Ino's occasional spat of abuse, Shikamaru flooded his skull with chakra and waited for Sakura to give him a target. Shortly thereafter, she over-extended a punch and Shikamaru snapped forward, using his hips and back to fuel a nasty head butt. The pinkette dropped unconscious, a stunned look on her face. Hunching his shoulders, Shikamaru slouched his way up the stairs to the balcony as Hayate declared him the winner. Ignoring the incredulous looks, the Nara boy settled back in with his teammates.

"That was quick." Asuma noted with some amusement. "Get bored pretty fast down there?" Shikamaru shrugged, not wanting to get into it.

"A _head butt_!" Ino screeched. "That seems like something Naruto or Kiba would do!" Shikamaru glared at her.

"It worked didn't it? The next match is starting." Ino glared back at him, but kept quiet as the screen displayed the next two names.

**Gaara VS Tenten**

"Yosh! You are so lucky Tenten-chan! You get to go first of Team 9!" Laughing softly, Tenten jumped down on to the floor, half-listening to her eccentric comrade go on about what self-imposed punishment he would perform if he did not fight as well as Tenten. Tuning out Guy's response, Tenten smiled at her silent, red-headed opponent.

"Let's have a good fight, alright?" The Suna-nin ignored her, staring silently with a creepy gaze. '_Oh boy_…' Tenten thought '_why do I always get the crazies?_' Across the floor, a cork popped out of the gourd hung from Gaara's back.

"Begin." Hopping back, Tenten started the fight with a couple shuriken, planning on gauging her opponent's reaction time. Instead of dodging or drawing a kunai to block them, a tendril of sand shot out of Gaara's gourd and caught the throwing weapons. Without so much as a twitch, the shuriken were crushed and dropped to the floor as more sand poured out and began drifting around the Suna-nin. Frowning, Tenten hurled a dozen throwing stars this time, angling a few of them to come from the sides. Still no movement from the boy as the shuriken were all caught and tossed aside.

'_This_…_could be a problem_.'

Gaara finally moved himself, raising an arm to point at her. Biting back a curse, Tenten ran as a swell of sand tried to envelop her. Darting about the floor, Tenten kept up a barrage of projectiles testing Gaara's defenses while avoiding being grabbed by the sand. A realist, Tenten quickly concluded that she wasn't going to be able to beat him with her standard gear, and she didn't have any Exploding Notes because of how expensive the damn things were. How Team 7 seemed to have so many of them(from what Lee had described of that log trap) she had no clue. It was time to bring out her heavy hitters.

Above the fight, the watching Genin and Jounin were distracted from Tenten's fight by a loud groan from Naruto. They looked over at the blond who was holding his head with one hand and the other on the railing of the balcony. "Ow ow ow! That really hurt."

"Naruto?" Naruto gave himself a shake to focus as Tenten pulled out a pair of large scrolls from a pouch.

"Sorry, Black Mirage kinda freaked out when he saw the sand." A strange look passed over the blond's face. "Kakashi-sensei, have you ever heard of someone called Caleb the Shifter and why would Black Mirage be frightened that he had kids?"

Down on the fighting floor, Tenten smirked a little as she readied herself for her upcoming attack. "Your little defensive tricks are pretty interesting, I've never seen anything like them. Still, lets see how good they are." Gaara didn't respond, merely directed the sand to circle the girl and move in. Grimacing at the amount of sand the Suna-nin was pulling from somewhere and glad she hadn't tried to rush him, Tenten unleashed her scrolls and leapt into the air followed by a pair smoke-dragons.

"Soushouryuu(Twin Rising Dragons)!"

The dragons blew away when she reached the pinnacle of her jump, leaving Tenten with two spiraling scrolls at her side. With rapid popping sounds, dozens of weapons of all kinds appeared and were immediately thrown at Gaara with pinpoint accuracy. It did not matter though, as a large wall made of sand rose up blocking every object. Spinning in the center of her technique, Tenten noted with dismay that losing sight of her did not slow the advance of Gaara's sand in the slightest. The chakra imbued material was quickly crawling up her scrolls and was beginning to prevent her weapons from appearing. "Guess I don't have time to do this right." She muttered, reaching out to physically touch the scrolls. "Kai(Release)!" Tenten shouted, pumping a large amount of chakra into the scrolls as the sand finally closed in on her.

**WA-**_**BOOM!**_

With a muffled thump of explosively displaced air, Jounin and Genin alike were forced to shield their eyes against innumerable weapons, smoke, and sand. The air quickly cleared letting the observers spot Tenten landing on the arm of the statue. The weapon mistress's massive collection of 'toys' was spread everywhere, somehow missing everybody but Gaara, whose sand had prevented any harm.

"You…" Gaara spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse and deep for his age "are annoying. Die…"

"No thanks." Tenten's smile was harsh as she lifted her hands, something metallic gleaming around her fingers. "I'd suggest dodging this though." Gaara paid no attention to the weapons lifting into the air around him, raising his hand in a grasping gesture towards Tenten. A few dozen pointy objects zoomed at Gaara from all angles as the red-head closed his hand.

In the balcony several genin winced as the weapons slammed home. "Isn't that a little over-kill?" Ino asked.

"No." Naruto said, staring at the floor intently. "If he's anything like how Black Mirage described his ancestor, then he isn't even scratched."

"Aahhh!"

On the statue Tenten struggled vainly as sand spread over her body, pinning her down. "Damn it! What's going on!" There was a loud grinding sound as the pile of weapons formed by Tenten's technique was pushed aside by Gaara's sand.

"Useless." Gaara swung his arm over and the cocoon of sand holding Tenten moved to the center of the room. The Suna-nin was about kill the weapon mistress when Hayate interrupted, having seen some of the surveillance footage of Gaara in the Second Exam.

"Stop! This match is over." Gaara glared at the man, but when the proctor repeated himself, the red-head reluctantly complied. Medics swarmed Tenten and moved the girl off the floor. Right as the group went out the doors, Sakura stepped in holding an ice pack to her forehead. Sakura made her way towards her team as Gaara collected his sand and then left the floor.

"Hi guys." Sakura said shyly, knowing that Sasuke was not likely to be happy with her right now. "Did I miss anything?" Naruto and Kakashi gave her smiles of greeting, though Sasuke glared at her as if he were trying to set her on fire with just his stare…

"Nothing much Sakura-chan. Caleb the Shifter's great-great-great-grandson beat that girl with her hair in buns, you know, that one from the hallway right before the first Exam?" There was some puzzled expressions as Kakashi cleared his throat.

"I've been meaning to ask Naruto, who's this 'Caleb' you said Black Mirage mentioned?"

"Oh, well, he was this…" Naruto's speech was interrupted by the Third Exam proctor.

**Temari VS Naruto Uzumaki**

Temari made her way slowly towards the floor, considering her opponent who chuckled and jumped over the balcony. The younger blond waited impatiently as the kunoichi made her way to the starting position. It seemed like childish behavior from someone she recalled throwing around Jounin-level Killing Intent and possessing strange eyes. '_I know he has to have_ some _skills, but what's his specialty?_ _I hate going in blind._'

"Ready to rumble Temari?" The kunoichi plastered a confident smirk on her face.

"If you think you can handle me, shorty."

"Begin."

Temari didn't bother with intimidation tactics and went all at straight from the start. Whipping her battle fan off her back Temari opened it to three stars and swung. Wind laced with razor sharp chakra roared from her fan and slammed into her younger opponent. Letting out a loud 'Oof!' Naruto was thrown into the wall below where he'd been standing on the balcony. Smirking, Temari set her fan down in a position that merely _looked_ unprepared. "Is that all midget? I thought you'd put up a hell of lot better a fight after that display in the First Exam hall. Unless you're nothing but a yapping dog…" Naruto scowled at the kunoichi's comments, feeling his temper flare up over the multiple 'short' insults.

"I was going to be nice 'cause you're a girl, but forget it. Eat Foxfire!" Kakashi's eye widened as blue fire began to burn in both of Naruto's hands. Having quietly investigated where Naruto kept going to practice back in Wave, the former ANBU captain felt he was the most qualified to make the following announcement.

"Hit the deck! He tends to go overboard with this stuff!" Temari looked uneasy as the assembled shinobi either ducked or braced themselves.

'_Oh Hell! He's a fire-user?_' Snapping her fan up Temari brought it swinging down as Naruto lashed out with two thin streams of azure fire. Launched into the air and out of the way, Temari mounted her fan and prepared for evasive maneuvers. Angry at having dropped to the floor up in the balcony Baki, Temari's Jounin sensei, scowled.

"Is that supposed to be overboard?"

On the ground floor, Naruto frowned up at his opponent as he watched her fly over to the statue and land. In moments the kunoichi had cover and fired a Fuuton technique at him from behind the stone fingers. Knowing there was nothing on the empty fighting floor to Kawarimi with, Naruto had to use something he'd been hoping to hide a little longer; his only true defensive technique.

"Ninpou Kamaitachi(Whirlwind attack)!"

"Kitsune-bi Kekkai(Foxfire Barrier)!" Eyes widened as a circle of blue fire lit around Naruto's feet before burning upwards and joining together over the ninja's head, creating an elongated dome. Temari's attack hit a moment later and the Foxfire dome flared wildly, the fire feeding on the wind. The Suna kunoichi paled as Naruto grinned broadly at her, the Foxfire around him responding to his gestures.

"Let the fun begin!" Thrusting both palms at Temari, Foxfire drained off of Naruto and rushed her cover in a roaring stream. Behind the kunoichi, the Hokage and his assistants scrambled out of the way as the column of Foxfire came soaring in. Temari barely managed to clear her perch as fire washed over the area. Hitting the floor, Temari's training kicked in and she sent a blast of wind at Naruto who hadn't moved an inch from his shrunken barrier. Unfortunately, it seemed his technique could be used multiple times as it simply 'ate' her wind blast and swelled back up. Slashing his hand down, Naruto drained his Foxfire back to its original size sent a return blast at Temari. The kunoichi did not quite make it this time and had to pat out a few fires on her battle kimono. Strangely, Naruto waited for her to finish. Eyeing the younger boy, Temari began to develop a few theories on how his Foxfire worked and raised her fan to test them.

On the balcony, Kiba whistled. Like most of the ninja present, the feral-looking boy was watching the fight from the floor of the balcony. "Man, where'd Naruto learned to do that?"

"I thought he was a genjutsu user?" Kurenai asked, wondering the same thing as her student.

"It started when we had that mission to Wave country really." Sakura told everyone. The pinkette then turned to her teacher. "Sensei, why are we in cover?" Kakashi offered one of his odd, eye-crinkling smiles.

"Oh, that? Naruto doesn't like to be called short, and his fire techniques sometimes go out of control when he's angry. That's all." Guy opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when Naruto's Foxfire surged.

Downstairs, Temari had folded her fan until only one of the decorative circles she nicknamed 'stars' was visible. Swinging, Temari sent a weak burst of wind at Naruto. The blond boy looked at her puzzled at this as the Foxfire around him surged up slightly. Opening to the second star, Temari sent a stronger wind at him as she readied herself to run. A moment later she took off, dodging the expected blast of fire. Smirking, Temari fully opened her fan and set it to her side, ready for use.

"Well now…I think I see how that technique works. It feeds on any wind chakra that touches it and lets you throw the resulting additional flames at your enemies. An interesting technique, but it seems pretty limited…especially since I'm fairly certain you can't move, can you?" Naruto looked surprised for a moment, then laughed.

"Wow, not bad Temari. You figured out Kitsune-bi Kekkai pretty quickly. Most of it anyways, you missed a few things here and there."

"Like what?" Temari scoffed, confident that she was safe for the moment. It was about then that a foot kicked the back of her left leg and dropped her to her knees while a hand snagged her hair and pulled her head back, leaving her throat exposed. Before she could even try to fight her way free, a black sword became visible as the arm holding it reached around her and pressed it into her throat over her forehead guard.

"Like the fact that I don't have to stay in it to maintain it, and that I've been learning genjutsu." Temari held very still as the rest of Naruto faded into sight behind her.

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate called out, knowing that the kunoichi had no chance of escaping without a second smile cut into her neck. Smiling, Naruto released her and stepped away from Temari who rubbed her throat to check for cuts. Medics rushed out to check them both over as the audience began talking amongst themselves.

"What an…interesting display of the Flames of Youth."

"Wasn't it?" Kakashi agreed mildly, noting with amusement that Guy seemed distracted.

"I find myself curious as to how Uzumaki-san learned such skills with Katon techniques given that he has no access to a clan library or elder." Even Kurenai looked surprised to see Shino speak without being spoken to, but Kakashi quickly rallied himself.

"All I can say is that it is something unique to Naruto."

"I KNEW it!" Sakura shouted, getting a wince from Naruto and stares from everyone else in the room. "Naruto _does_ have a bloodline. Nobody normal heals 27 broken bones on their own in less 12 hours!" While a small part of Kakashi wanted to congratulate Sakura for actually paying attention to her teammates, a much larger part of him wanted to strangle her for declaring her observations loud enough for the foreign ninja to hear. Speaking of said foreign ninja, both Oto and Suna were looking quite interested in Sakura's comment.

"Next match." Hayate declared in an attempt to distract the Oto and Suna Jounin.

**Choji Akimichi VS Kin**

The fight between Choji and Kin ended swiftly. Kin threw senbons with bells attached to them. Choji set himself for his Meat Tank technique. Creating sound based bushin around her didn't help Kin when Choji was capable of rolling over ALL of the Kin copies at once. Additionally, Choji's bulk, rotation, and chakra enhancement prevented any of Kin's needles from hurting him once he started rolling. In less then a minute, Choji hemmed the Sound kunoichi into a corner and slammed into her, knocking the girl unconscious instantly. There was quite a bit of head-shaking and chortling as Choji proudly headed back up the stairs. Across the room, the Sound Jounin directed a murderous gaze at his student as she was hauled away. Undisturbed by the quick and largely bloodless match, Hayate activated the screen.

**Zaku Abumi VS Kiba Inuzuka**

The two genin moved cautiously to starting positions as everyone fell silent to watch the match. In the Forest of Death, Zaku had gotten beaten on by enough Leaf ninja to not expect an easy victory. On the other hand, Kiba had overheard enough of Sakura's and Naruto's conversation to know that this Sound ninja used wind blasts, something Kiba had never fought against. As soon as the proctor started the fight, Kiba charged in, hoping to close before Zaku could blast him. Focused on the feral genin, Zaku paid no attention to the small dog that jumped off the Leaf ninja's head and ran to the side. Smirking, Zaku fired a Zankuuha at Kiba, blowing the Inuzuka back to where he started.

"You're going to have to be a lot faster then that if you want to beat on me like that green spandex wearing asshole!" Kiba grinned, flashing through a few well-practiced hand seals as Zaku ran his mouth.

"Ya mean like this? Shikyaku no Jutsu(Four Legged technique)!" Zaku was still spitting curses when Kiba cleared the distance between them and started pounding on the Oto-nin. Zaku tried defending himself with Taijutsu but Kiba was far and away his superior in that aspect of the ninja arts. After just a few seconds, Zaku bit the bullet and fired a Zankuuha at his own feet, hurting them both and blowing the two apart. "That the best you can do?"

"No." Zaku said, smiling evilly. Reaching into his coat, Zaku produced a bag and bounced it in his palm. "I wanted to use this in the forest, but there was too much cover. This is wide open though, and perfect…" Tossing the bag in the air in front of himself, Zaku raised both his arms up.

"Zankuuha(Decapitating Air Waves) 100%!" Kiba blanched as the bag disintegrated under the attack revealing a few dozen caltrops…all of which were being blown his way.

"Aw fuck…" Kiba whispered, bringing his arms up to defend his vital points. There was a tearing sensation across Kiba's skin as the Sea Urchin-like metal clusters rammed in and were jerked out side-ways by the same force.

"FUCK!" Kiba howled after the attack ended. "That shit hurts!" In balcony Kurenai sighed, deciding to let this one bout of swearing go without lecture given the circumstances.

Zaku laughed. "That's the point you dumb mutt! How about a second one!"

'_As if._' Kiba thought. Acting fast, the Inuzuka genin reached into jacket pockets and produced a pair of smoke bombs that were thrown to the ground. Zaku cackled at the smoke and used a Zankuuha to blow it away. Before he could finish, another pair of bombs went off, then another pair, together producing a smoke cloud so thick Zankuuha was just moving it around.

'_Damn it, how many of these things does that fucking mutt have?_' Somewhere in the smoke bank Zaku heard a popping sound that wasn't a smoke bomb going off. '_Shit. He is setting something up. I'll to clear the air, NOW!_'

"I won't dance to your tune Leaf mutt! Take this!" Zaku spread his arms to cover as much of the room as possible. "Zankyokukuuha(Extreme Decapitating Air Waves)!" Under the force of Zaku's best attack, the doors at the far end of the room were ripped from their hinges and sent flying much to consternation of the medical ninja waiting behind them. With an opening to pour out of, most of the smoke was forced out of the room, revealing Kiba. The Inuzuka was looking even more feral then usual, a fact which heartened his teammates. Zaku on the other hand, was amused. From his closer position, he could the gouges on the stone floor where Kiba had tried to hold himself down, and the vicious wounds on his body.

"Not bad for a Leaf dog." Zaku allowed. "You might have survived my best attack, but there's no way you can win now; it's over." Kiba lifted his head, grinning.

"You're right about one thing, it's over. Akamaru!" From out of the small amount of smoke leftover behind Zaku came an identical copy of Kiba. Under the effects of the Juujin Bushin(Beast-man Clone) technique, Akamaru pounced on Zaku with a howl. Obeying ancient instincts, the ninja-trained dog latched onto the Sound ninja's throat and began thrashing wildly. Zaku tried screaming, tried firing one of his wind attacks, but it all came out a useless gurgle as darkness began encroaching on Zaku's vision.

"Winner, Kiba Inuzuka!" Hayate shouted as loudly as he could manage with his sickness. Cheering, Kiba called off his familiar as medics poured into the room looking badly ruffled.

"Damn it!" The leader swore. "Grab them both, the Sound ninja needs surgery to repair his throat right now!"

There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence as the floor was quickly cleaned up. The foreign ninja didn't really care other then how this affected later matches, and the Leaf genin were surprised at how their classmate's match turned out so bloody. Coughing, Hayate triggered the screen.

**Misumi Tsurugi VS Sasuke Uchiha**

"Hey Sasuke! Don't lose your mind again!" Sasuke growled as he got into a stance, blocking out his annoying teammate. Neji felt his interest stir slightly, having vaguely heard about this from Lee. He'd have to pay attention and discuss this with Tenten when the medic finally released her.

On the floor, the match started with the usual trash-talking. "Don't worry Uchiha, this will all end once I get a hold of you." Sasuke ignored him. Anyone who was still taking the Chuunin Exam at this man's age wasn't worth fighting.

"Begin."

Misumi charged in, expecting the younger boy to be weakened from the Cursed Seal he'd been branded with. Unluckily for him, he wasn't as in the loop as he thought and Sasuke responded to the charge by flipping through some hand seals.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu(Grand Fireball technique)." Misumi drew up short, hesitating.

'_What? The Cursed Seal should prevent him from using chakra!_' As the fireball died Sasuke skirted the edge of it and attempted to stab the other genin with a kunai. Grunting, Misumi lashed out and slammed a fist into the smaller boy's chin…and the bushin promptly disappeared. From the other side of the last of the fireball's flames, Sasuke attacked Misumi from behind, landing a painful hit to the kidneys. Staggering, Misumi swung wildly trying to force Sasuke back but the nimble genin just ducked out of the way and nailed the older boy with a jab. Growling, Misumi lunged forward trying to lay a hand on Sasuke. Scowling, Sasuke leapt back using chakra to propel himself further back. Dropping a hand into his kunai pouch, Sasuke brought both hands back together and began flying through seals. Misumi swore and tried to close the distance but he didn't make it.

"Housenka no Jutsu(Mythical Fire Phoenix technique)."

Cursing the lack of objects to Body Switch with, Misumi dove wildly to the side but was unable to avoid two of the numerous little fireballs…which turned out to have kunai hidden in them. Spitting a quick 'God damnit!', Misumi stood up and charged again, furious. As the older genin closed in, he saw the Uchiha boy smirk. "Don't smirk at me Uchiha! It'll be over as soon as I get a hold of you!" As the blow landed there was a pop and a kunai appeared in Sasuke's place. '_Shit. That's one of the kunai from behind…_'

_CRACK!_

"Weakling." Sasuke muttered as Misumi dropped to the ground, unconscious. The Sharingan-user started towards the balcony even before Hayate declared him the winner. Sasuke was feeling disappointed in the match, having not even needed his Doujutsu. Still, he comforted himself knowing that only strong opponents would make it into the Third Exam, giving him a chance to improve his Sharingan. As he started up the stairs, Sasuke heard footsteps behind him. Pausing, the Uchiha looked over his shoulder and spotted Tenten walk into the room wearing only minor bandages. Dismissing her from his thoughts Sasuke kept going.

"Good match, Sasuke-kun." Sakura offered when he got back. Sasuke ignored her, which made the pinkette deflate slightly. Why was he so angry with her, she had only done what was best for him. The other Leaf ninja remained silent as they had for most of the preliminaries because of the awkwardness.

"Lets begin the next match."

**Yoroi Akadou VS Neji Hyuuga**

"This will be over quite soon." Guy said quietly. The other Jounin looked slightly surprised at this comment, given how silent everyone had been so far.

"Why do you say that Guy?" Kurenai asked the older Jounin politely.

"Because…Neji-kun is a Hyuuga, and Yoroi appears to be a close-combat type."

"Ahh." Kakashi said. "That would end this pretty quickly."

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you guys talking about?" Kakashi started describing the Hyuuga clan's abilities and Doujutsu as the two fighters got into their ready positions.

"Prepare yourself to face your fate." Yoroi snorted.

"And just what fate is that, girly boy?" Neji's eyes narrowed, pumping chakra into his fingers as his Byakugan activated without hand seals, a feat that made Hinata gasp in the balcony.

"Start the match, proctor-san."

The moment the match started, both genin rushed at each other. At the last moment before contact Neji used his superior footwork to slid beneath Yoroi's attempt to grab his face. The masked genin started to bring his hand down, glowing with chakra. "Fool." Neji scoffed. Lightning quick, Neji jabbed his right index and middle finger into Yoroi's arm. By the time the older genin's hand grabbed Neji's shoulder, the chakra surrounding it sputtered and died out. The older genin looked shocked as Neji drew his hands back and began rapidly ramming his chakra imbued fingers into Yoroi's tenketsu. Stepping back, Neji allowed Yoroi to collapse, gasping. The match was called in Neji's favor soon afterwards as Yoroi could not stand up. When the Hyuuga Branch member returned to his team, the other Leaf ninja could hear Guy cheerful tell Neji that he looked very close to truly mastering Hakke Rokujuuyonshou(Eight Divination Signs; 64 Palms of the Hand). Hinata's wince at this comment and the other Jounin's shocked looks stirred interest from the other genin teams, even Sasuke, but Hayate triggered the name-selecting screen quickly thanks to the quick and clean match.

**Hinata Hyuuga VS Ino Yamanaka**

Ino breathed a sigh of relief as she and Hinata made their way to the ground floor. While she often seemed flighty Ino was not a stupid girl. Of the three possible opponents for her to face, Hinata was definitely her best pick. Shino had always put her on edge for some reason and after seeing Lee fight in the Forest of Death Ino wanted to _never_ pick a fight with Lee. On the other hand, Ino remembered Hinata from the Academy. The painfully shy girl had never done well in Taijutsu class, and Ino felt confident that she could take Hinata. Taking up an aggressive stance, Ino smiled at Hinata. "Ready?" Hinata smiled back faintly, looking distinctly nervous.

"Begin."

Leaping forward, Ino tried to be nice by finishing the match quickly, but Hinata surprised the blonde kunoichi by evading the punch easily. Frowning slightly, Ino pursued her, launching a flurry of punches and kicks all of which were avoided. With a bigger frown, Ino tried forcing Hinata into a corner by adding shuriken into her attack routine but the white-eyed kunoichi simply deflected them with her hands. Forcing herself to calm down, Ino backed off to consider what she'd heard of the Hyuuga abilities from Kakashi.

'_Shika would be _so_ useful right now_.'

Drawing 6 shuriken, Ino hurled them together at Hinata. Instead of trying to block all of the shuriken, Hinata bent backwards in an amazing display of agility, letting them pass over her. Seeing an opportunity, Ino charged in and attempted to kick Hinata's feet from under her. There was a loud murmur from the audience as Hinata slapped her left hand on the floor and adhered it to the stone. At the same time she flexed her back and shoulders to lift her legs out of the way of Ino's kick. Kicking when her body was straight up and down, Hinata used the momentum to finishing flipping back on to her feet away from Ino. Releasing the chakra in her hand, Hinata straighten up and resumed a defensive stance. Ino stared for a moment in shock before blurting.

"How did you _do_ that?" In the balcony, Kankurou grinned lecherously at the display.

"Damn she's flexible." Scowling, Temari cracked her younger brother over the head with her fan. Meanwhile, across the room, denser individuals were frowning.

"Come _on_!" Naruto moaned. "Why isn't she fighting back?" Kurenai stepped over and patted Naruto on the shoulder, smiling gently when he looked at her.

"Hinata-chan is a very gentle girl Naruto-kun. It's hard for her to bring herself to hurt someone if she's not defending her teammates." Naruto frowned, looking back at the fight where Ino had recovered her equilibrium and continued attacking.

"Well that's stupid, it's not like they're trying to kill each other." Kurenai's smiled broadened a little.

"It's just who she is." Naruto considered it for a few seconds before cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Damn it, somebody kick someone's ass; I'm getting bored up here!" Ino's expression turned thunderous at this little 'gem' from Naruto and started to turn around to yell at him when she heard the word 'Byakugan!' shouted behind her.

"Oh no…"

Ino's attempt to Kawarimi away proved pointless as the first Juuken(Gentle Fist) strike landed on the blonde's shoulder and disrupted her hand seals. It didn't stop there. As if someone had thrown a switch in her, Hinata hammered away at Ino's tenketsu, shutting down her chakra network hit by hit. It was clumsy by Hyuuga standards but it got the job done given Ino's surprise. Finally, it ended and Ino dropped to the ground breathing heavily.

"Winner, Hinata Hyuuga."

"Now that's better!" Naruto cheered, not noticing the blush it caused on Hinata's face. The shy kunoichi managed to make it back to her team without incident, receiving smiles and congratulations for her win. Shino merely gave her a solemn nod, having already started heading to the floor for his match. He would give her a more through compliment later.

Lee had also realized that he was one of the next fighters and let out a loud cheer, declaring that because he was going last he would end the preliminaries with a bonfire of Youthful Flames! Hopping over the railings, Lee landed easily, quickly taking a standard opening stance for the Goken(Strong Fist) style. "Come Shino-san, let us clash in a spectacular battle!"

**Shino Aburame VS Rock Lee  
**

Seeing his opponent's enthusiasm, Shino cautiously sent a few of his bugs to scout for surprises while he stared at Lee. The Taijutsu-specialist was content to wait a bit, analyzing Shino for weaknesses like Guy-sensei had taught him. Neither boy moved for some time, causing Naruto to start fidgeting impatiently.

"Do you wish to make the first move, Shino-san?" Lee inquired politely, as their staring match approached two minutes. Shino twitched almost unnoticeably, assuming that the older genin was mocking him like most others did.

"Very well." Having never seen Lee fight, Shino went with a standard opening and threw a few shuriken at the other boy to test his reflexes. Thanks to a year of training with a budding weapon mistress, Lee considered throwing weapons a regular part of any battlefield and swatted the shuriken away without any thought or effort.

"Good try Shino-san!"

Hiding a tiny frown behind his collar, Shino discreetly sent out more of his bugs. "It is obvious I will not be able to defeat you with thrown weapons. Let us begin this fight in earnest." Sending a mental message to his allies, Shino attacked Lee, launching a careful and precise set of probing strikes. Lee responded flawlessly, easily defending himself with impressive speed and power. Finally, Lee stopped one of Shino's punches cold and lashed out with a hard kick. It didn't land on the boy though, as Shino disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a cloud of black dots that flew at Lee and settled on the Taijutsu expert. In the balcony, there were nods of realization from the Jounin as Lee stared at the spots, puzzled.

"Not a bad strategy." Kakashi allowed as Kurenai smiled in pride at her student.

"What's going on Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, beating Naruto to the question by a heartbeat.

"You'll see." Kakashi smiled at them, refusing to answer.

On the floor, Shino attacked again, preventing Lee from continuing his study of the spots on his clothes that had begun to move. Wanting to study the specks more closely, Lee did not wait as long this time to power through the younger boy's defense and drive home a punch to the chin. Again, it didn't land as Shino Body Switched with more of those moving spots. It wasn't until the third Kawarimi that Lee finally realized that the spots were small bugs. Bugs that were beginning to build up considerable numbers even when Shino wasn't Body Switching with them. Frowning as the bugs began biting him, Lee decided to up the ante. The next time Shino Kawarimi'ed, Lee listened for the second pop that would give away the other boy's position and rushed it. Shino was unprepared for the change and took a palm-strike to the chest before he could reorient on Lee. Focused now, Lee pursued him and started beating down the Aburame with vastly superior Taijutsu skills. Groaning with pain, Shino mentally reached for his allies as he held arms and more importantly, his sleeves, out towards Lee. The spandex-clad genin had just grabbed Shino's wrist for a lock when an enormous swarm of insects poured out of Shino's coat. Lee was pushed back with a startled yell while Sakura shrieked from the balcony.

"Where did they come from!" Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, Asuma gave the teens a quick run-down of the Aburame clan, including their deep bond with the Destruction Insects they carried in their bodies to battle. A quick use of Byakugan from Neji confirmed the story. The closed-off young prodigy seemed rather disturbed by what he'd seen, and the subject was quickly dropped due to movement on the field.

"This is quite painful Shino-san! It will not keep me from re-engaging you in our match though."

"Yes, they will. My Destruction Bugs will devour your chakra and leave you helpless. Please surrender." There was a fair amount of surprise when Lee laughed heartily at the request.

"Shino-san, I feel that I should tell you that it is my dream to prove to the world that I can be a truly excellent ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu at all." Shino had barely processed that statement when Lee burst free of the Bug swarm with nothing but physical strength and rushed Shino, hitting the smaller boy like a freight train. Shino surrendered soon after that, having completely misread the nature of his opponent's speed and strength, the results of insanely dedicated training rather then chakra enhancement.

"Winner, Lee!"

Cheering, Lee screamed "I did it Guy-sensei!" before offering a hand to Shino to help him up as the medics hurried it to treat them both. As the medic teams rushed Shino out, Hokage stepped to the edge of the balcony and smiled at the remaining genin.

"If the winners of their matches will all gather on the floor, we'll decide the matches for the Third Exam." The teenagers did so quickly, all of them curious about who'd they end up fighting. Once the match winners had lined up, Anko went down the line holding a box.

"Each of you reach into the box and pull out a piece of paper with a number on it, when we ask you, tell us your number." Anko shot a quick glare at Lee and Naruto. "Didn't get cute and 'forget' when you're supposed to say it." Ibiki approached Hayate with a piece of paper and an ink brush to record the results as Hayate called off names. When they hit someone who was still being treated, Anko grabbed a paper for them. Once they finished, Ibiki flipped the paper around and showed it to the genin.

"These will be your opponents in one months' time." Hayate informed them with a cough. "Please use this time wisely. The genin didn't respond, busy studying the list.

_Kankurou Versus Sasuke Uchiha_

_Naruto Uzumaki Versus Kiba Inuzuka_

_Gaara Versus Choji Akimichi_

_Neji Hyuuga Versus Hinata Hyuuga_

_Rock Lee Versus Shikamaru Nara_

There was a fair bit of unrest among the genin as the match ups were revealed. It only lasted until the Hokage spoke, the old man's still strong voice silencing the teens. "In a month, you will all be fighting for the honor and prestige of your respective countries. Train yourselves, study, rest, but no matter what, approach the Third Exam with all the seriousness it deserves." Lee looked up from recording the match ups in his trusty, ever-present notebook.

"Yosh! We shall be certain to dazzle our honored guests with the strength of our Flames of Youth Hokage-sama!" Sarutobi smiled fondly at the boy's excited shout, always pleased to see one of his shinobi enjoying life.

"I look forward to it, Lee-kun. But, for now, you are all dismissed. If you will all follow Hayate, you will be taken to the exit and escorted back to Konoha proper." As everyone started to move, the Hokage cleared his throat. "I had almost forgotten it seems…Naruto Uzumaki, please come with me. There is something we need to discuss…"

Naruto winced as he started towards the old man. It never ended well when he used his full name.

* * *

_Original Technique List:_

Waking Nightmare: A middle level genjutsu, Waking Nightmare has several unique properties. First off, victims of Waking Nightmare cannot directly be killed with this technique. Only those with severe preexisting heart conditions have been known to die from this illusion. Despite this, Waking Nightmare is not a 'merciful' technique. Once caught in its grips, victims of Waking Nightmare are forced to view what they consider their greatest fears and horrors that lurk in the depths of their own minds. This persists until the techniques is released but even after being freed most individuals find that they are exhausted mentally, and possibly physically. The most intriguing aspect of Waking Nightmare is its difficulty in being dispelled. Causing pain to oneself or utilizing the standard Kai technique does NOT free someone from Waking Nightmare. Usually, the user releases the victims but there is one other method of escape. The victim/s must achieve a totally accepting or serene mental state. Only by acknowledging that what they are seeing is truly 'just a nightmare' can an individual free themselves from Waking Nightmare.

Kitsune-bi Kekkai(Foxfire Barrier): A lower level defense technique, Foxfire Barrier holds a C rank only because of its ability act offensively as well as defensively. Foxfire Barrier, once employed, offers almost total protection against Fuuton, Katon, and Raiton techniques, absorbing the elemental energy and storing it for use of the wielder. However, the technique possesses many limits and weaknesses. First off, once the Barrier is placed, it cannot be moved. If you wish to place the Barrier somewhere else, you must release it and lose all currently stored energy. Secondly, Foxfire Barrier can only contain an amount of Chakra equal to the user's original reserves. Going over this limit causes severe backlash, to the point of chakra burnout depending on far the limit is passed. Finally, Foxfire Barrier offers NO protection against physical objects or elements. A kunai could pass through the barrier while a Karyuu Endan(Fire Dragon Flame Projectile) wouldn't even raise the temperature inside it. This limitation means that Suiton and Doton techniques can pass through the Barrier only slightly weakened. All of this means that Foxfire Barrier is not always useful, but can be a lifesaver in the right situation.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh yeah, behold the power of an Alternate Universe! 10 randomly selected matches leading to a tourney that starts with more randomly selected fights! What they came out as though…I wonder if Neji will still air his clan's dirty laundry in public? But, on a personal note, writing this chapter was pretty fun, though I'm fairly certain that I screwed up a lot. There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue, a fact I played off to social awkwardness resulting from Sasuke going apes hit, but I left a lot of the explanations from the series too. As to that, you guys all know how their shit works, you've read/watched the series.

Anyways, enjoy the cliffhanger, mwa-Ha haha!

_5/15/2011_ - Corrected the mistake about Rock Lee's name and abilities. He is still the bad-ass victor.


	9. Chapter 9

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Well, I can give it my best shot, but just because I can break a mind doesn't exactly mean I know how to put one back together." -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

Head hanging slightly, Naruto walked up to the old man he considered his surrogate grandfather. The last time the Hokage had used his full name had been because of a certain incident involving orange food coloring filled balloons, a team of asshole Genin who thought it was amusing to bully a then academy student Naruto, and a chase through a market square that resulted in a few hundred dollars worth of damage. Naruto could now admit to himself that he'd earned a harsh scolding that day, though at the time it had hurt to have one of the few people who cared for him so mad.

"Yeah, old man?" Sarutobi chuckled, seeing the hang-dog look on the blonde's face. '_No doubt he thinks that he is in trouble again, though I can't help but wonder what he has done lately that would make him come to that conclusion. I shall have to look in to that soon…_'

"I need you to come with me Naruto-kun, there is something you should see, or more accurately, _someone_." Hiruzen smiled slyly as he waited for the teen to make the connection.

"See someone? I don't get it, Iruka-sensei was here in the tower to greet us. Is it old man Teuchi or Ayame? I mean, they're the only ones in Konoha that I really know outside my classmates except…" As Naruto's eyes widened, Hiruzen chuckled.

"Yes Naruto-kun, Haku is awake."

"Holy shit!" Naruto blurted. "Let's go!" Chuckling again, Sarutobi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and used Shunshin to take them both out of the Forest of Death. Naruto gave an awed whistle as the two appeared outside the chain-link gate surrounding training ground 44. "Wow old man, you can really move with that swirling-leaf trick."

"As long as I've been a ninja, I've a great deal of time to perfect my Shunshin skill." The Hokage responded modestly as he used Shunshin again, appearing outside the gates of Konoha proper this time. As Hokage and Genin signed in with the gate-guards, Naruto gained a thoughtful look.

"Do you think you could teach me this…Shunshin thing? I bet I could make it awesome with Black Mirage." Hiruzen paused mid pen-stroke, his cunning old mind already considering the possibilities that Naruto had glimpsed at from seeing the technique in action.

"An interesting idea Naruto-kun, but as much progress as Kakashi says you've made on controlling your chakra and your actions, it would be unwise to teach you Shunshin before you at least mastered water walking. A single mistake or loss of control mid-Body Flicker can have disastrous effects on its user." Seeing Naruto pout at the refusal, the Hokage had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing at the boy's expression. Grabbing Naruto's shoulder and Flickering away for a third time, Hiruzen decided to offer the teen a compromise; after all, he was now rather curious as to what the inventive and promising young Genjutsu-user would do with the basic Chuunin skill. "I'll make you a deal Naruto-kun." The Hokage started as they entered the Konoha hospital. "If you can demonstrate a solid mastery of water walking within 2 weeks, I'll consider teaching you Shunshin." Seeing the blonde light up and brag that he'd have water walking down in no time as soon as someone showed him how to do it, the Hokage nodded. The possibility of a reward would keep Naruto from raising a stink about learning such a basic and 'boring' skill in the coming weeks, and would encourage him to work hard on it, improving his chakra control(and Genjutsu quality) by leaps and bounds. Sarutobi was certain Ebisu would appreciate a cooperative attitude from his new, temporary student, having already approved the man to tutor Naruto for the coming month. Unfortunately, Kurenai would not be available to teach Naruto more about the intricacies of Genjutsu, but with two students of her own in the Third Exam, the Hokage had no desire to interrupt her schedule. Finding a kenjutsu instructor was proving even more difficult, given that ANBU were all busy checking village security in the face of Orochimaru's confirmed presence and Hayate's degenerating health limited his time and ability to teach the strenuous art. Pushing such thoughts aside for the moment, Sarutobi lead Naruto to a Chuunin guarded door and opened it.

"Haku!" Naruto shouted, blowing past the guards to hug the astonished looking girl laying on the hospital bed. "I'm so SO sorry about what happened to you! I didn't mean to but I was angry because I thought my dick of a teammate was dead and I didn't really think about what was going to happen. Will you forgive me?" The kunoichi stared down at Naruto, confused. Sarutobi sighed, waiting for it.

"Um, I forgive you, mister." Naruto froze, before pulling away from her, staring.

"W-What? Don't you remember me, from Wave?" Haku shook her head, and then looked up at the Hokage expectantly. Silently wishing this was taking place somewhere he could smoke his pipe, Sarutobi sighed. Catching Naruto's attention with a hand gesture, the Hokage seated his old bones for what promised to be an unpleasant conversation.

"I'm afraid, Naruto-kun, that Haku has lost her memories."

"What! How?" The Hokage stared significantly at Naruto whose mind quickly caught up to his mouth. Blushing, Naruto brushed his hand against the rune on his chest. "Oh, right. Never mind. Old man…is there anything that can be done?" Sarutobi sighed again, patting his pockets out of habit.

"I've already had several members of the of the Yamanaka clan examine Haku. Inoichi, the clan head himself, came in here to check her. From what they have been able to determine, her memories were completely destroyed." Naruto winced. Black Mirage did not mess around when it came to crushing minds it seemed.

"They can't fix that, can they?" Sarutobi shook his head sadly. Looking distraught, Naruto turned back to fully face Haku before shocking the amnesiac girl by bowing deeply. "I am truly sorry Haku, I promise I'll make this up to you somehow." The room was silent for a while as Haku stared at the boy bowing before her. Carefully, she reached out and lifted his chin, staring into his eyes.

"You care." She seemed to marvel at the idea that he cared, even if it was only born from guilt. He was the first person since she had woken up to actually care about her. The Yamanakas and doctors had been more interested in studying the unique damage to her mind and the Hokage had been nice, but distant. This boy actually seemed to know her, personally. Smiling, Haku pulled Naruto on to the bed with her and hugged the blonde tightly. Naruto locked up, unable to figure out what was going on.

"Haku?"

"You said you would make it up to me, for my memories. I want to stay with you." Naruto started twitching as Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"That seems like an odd request young lady." Haku hid her face in Naruto's shoulder, mumbling something the Hokage didn't quite catch. "What was that?"

"Naruto feels familiar, he feels comfortable. I want to stay with him. I don't want to stay in the hospital anymore." Hiruzen felt an eyebrow creep up.

'_If Naruto feels familiar, then has she retained some level of impression from her memories? Interesting. I will have to have Naruto keep an eye on her in case she begins to recover them despite the damage to her mind._'

"Very well. I shall begin the arrangements." Naruto's eyes bugged out and he stared the Hokage with astonishment. Hiruzen smirked, enjoying getting one over the prankster teen. "We'll have to move the two of you into a 2-bedroom apartment. I know of a few inexpensive places that are fairly nice. I'll have to arrange a small stipend for Haku, since her circumstances were brought about by a Konoha shinobi. I will expect you to bring Haku in for regular examinations Naruto-kun. Can you do that?"

"S-sure!" Naruto squeaked, still reeling from what was happening. It took some effort and a fair amount of talking to free Naruto, but Sarutobi managed it with the promise that he'd have Naruto come by and pick her up that night. Ushering the boy out, the Hokage lead Naruto out of the hospital and towards the Tower. The stunned blonde was almost totally obvious to his surroundings as Sarutobi arranged to have an apartment rented out for Naruto and Haku as well as sending a messenger to fetch Ebisu. Happily, Naruto snapped out of his shock shortly before the special Jounin arrived.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, Ebisu, excellent timing! Naruto here is ready to start his first lesson while I finish setting up a few things."

"Very well Hokage-sama. We shall began immediately." Adjusting his sunglasses, Ebisu turned to his temporary student. "Follow me Uzuamki-san." Expression souring as he recognized the man, Naruto followed Ebisu. As they walked, the blonde pulled even with the special Jounin.

"So…you willing to teach a brat like me?" Ebisu didn't miss a stride as they walked.

"Perhaps I was a bit…unpleasant in our initial meeting, but I am an elite tutor. I am more then capable of putting aside any distaste I might feel for you and teach you to the best of my ability." Naruto eyed him suspiciously, but decided that if he could work with Sasuke then Ebisu could probably teach him.

"So, what are we starting with?" Ebisu adjusted his glasses.

"I have heard that you are a Genjutsu user, as well as a budding swordsman. Is that correct?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. But I'm better at illusions then sword fighting. I'm having a hard time with the style I'm being taught." Ebisu gave a sharp nod, taking a right off the road they were on. Naruto followed, listening to the man's response.

"It likely has to do with your age and size. Kenjutsu will come easier when you are older given that the movements would be designed for adults. Especially with the size of your sword."

'_He's right you know._' Black Mirage piped up casually. '_What I've been teaching you will be more useful once you've reached your full growth. You might want to look into learning something more fitted to your size until you grow up._'

'_Seriously? Where am I going to learn something like that?_' Mirage sent him the mental equivalent of a shrug.

'_That Tenten girl was a weapon user. Perhaps she would be able to point you in the right direction? Think about it later though, we have arrived._' Naruto snapped out of his communication with Black Mirage as Ebisu cleared his throat.

"As a genjutsu user, chakra control is vital. Not quite to the degree that medic-nin require, but you will need more control then the average shinobi. Given that, and a suggestion from Hokage-sama, your training for the month shall start with water walking here at this hot spring bath house." Naruto looked around, taking note of the surroundings.

"Is there a reason we're right next to the women's side of the bath house?" Ebisu flushed.

"…I don't wish to waste time walking to a river outside the village when there is a hot spring right here."

"Right. So, just how does a guy walk on water?" Coughing a bit to hide his embarrassment, Ebisu proceeded to explain the method behind water walking. Naruto listened carefully, having learned from repeated, painful experience with Mirage and the Kyuubi that you _always_ listen to the instructions.

_Always_

Molding chakra to the soles of his feet, Naruto stepped on the surface of the spring…and promptly fell in. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" Naruto screamed as he leapt out of the spring, skin red from the heat. Ebisu chuckled, pushing up his glasses.

"I almost forgot. I also choose this place because I felt that the heat of the water would 'encourage' you to focus on what you are doing." Naruto glared at his amused tutor, muttering under his breathe as he stood up for his next attempt at practice.

"Ass."

* * *

"Toomegane no jutsu(Telescope technique)." Sarutobi skillfully directed the scrying technique to where his surrogate grandson was currently perched on top of a near boiling hot spring with Black Mirage in hand. The Genin was slowly going through an unfamiliar sword kata, slowly learning to fight while water walking. The village leader watched silently for several minutes before tilting his head towards one corner of his private room without taking his eyes off his crystal ball. "It has been a long time Jiraiya-kun." Next to the door, a mass of shadows pulled itself away from the rest, becoming a familiar white-haired man. Smiling fondly, and arms crossed, the Toad Sage responded to his old sensei.

"I never could sneak past you old man." Jiraiya eyed the figure in the orb. "That's him, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is Naruto." Jiraiya watched the figure work his way through the kata a little longer before speaking again.

"A sword wielder huh? Guess he takes after his mom more then his dad. Kami, I hope he doesn't have his mother's attitude towards perverts." Sarutobi chuckled, letting his technique end.

"One way to find out for sure I suppose, though I would suggest staying away from his new apartment. Naruto-kun feels rather guilty and protective about a girl that will be living with him." Jiraiya grinned perversely, mentally noting to himself to check out his godson's situation later.

"Oh, should I stay away from him completely then?" The Hokage frowned, looking up at his old student.

"I would think that you would be at least a little interested in meeting your godson."

"I am!" Jiraiya defended himself. "I've just…been busy."

"If it helps you sleep at night Jiraiya. But, there is no need for you to train him at this time. We shall see where he is at in a few weeks." Folding his hands on his desk, Hiruzen's expression turned thoughtful. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here Jiraiya-kun. You haven't been to Konoha in years, and I know that none of my shinobi would have found you so quickly. All three of you were quite good at avoiding pursuit."

"Ahh." Jiraiya said, perking up. "I found something interesting while I was traveling. A new bridge in Wave has a few interesting decoration." Sarutobi cut him off, laughing.

"Four blue fires, burning at the corners of the bridge with no visible fuel." Jiraiya blinked.

"You've already heard about them?"

"Naruto made them somehow, using a technique called Kitsune-Bi Oni no jutsu. He was not able to explain much about the technique, though what he could tell me has convinced me to label it a clan technique to prevent imitators. Interestingly enough, he claims those fires will ward off evil spirits."

"I'd believe it." Jiraiya muttered. "Those flames are made from purified Demonic Chakra. There isn't a regular spirit or minor devil in the world that would go near them."

"Purified?"

"Very purified. I didn't think the Seal could do that good a job." Sarutobi shook his head.

"It cannot. Black Mirage, Naruto's sword, on the other hand, can." Jiraiya stared briefly, before sighing and sitting crossed-legged on the floor.

"Alright old man. I'm ready, tell me everything.

* * *

Stretching and popping stiff joints, Naruto followed Iruka to his new apartment, old man Hokage having sent the Academy teacher to pick up the Genin. Today had been boring as all get out but hey, Ebisu had said that when he could fight on water without slipping below the surface he could consider the skill mastered. That shouldn't take too long right? Naruto giggled evilly, imagining the fun he could have the Body Flicker technique; no more long runs to Ichiraku Ramen!

"Here you are Naruto." The blonde focused on the building Iruka was waving at. It was a plain looking house, only one story, but it looked well taken care of and twice the size of his now former apartment.

"Wow! The old man sure knows how to pick 'em!" Iruka smiled, patting Naruto on the head.

"Your stuff was already moved into the new apartment. I had them set up the basics for you. Ninja movers." Iruka explained, seeing the confused look on his former student's face. "Anyways, Naruto, before I head home I just want to say how proud of you I am for making it this far in your first Chuunin Exam. I-I doubted you, and I'm sorry for that." Naruto smiled, giving the older man a quick hug to let him know he was already forgiven.

"Don't worry about Iruka-sensei. Just be at the Third test to cheer me on when I win this thing ok?" Laughing, Iruka agreed and left with a wave. Bouncing the key he'd been given in one hand, Naruto walked up to his new front door and unlocked it. Stepping in, he shouted "I'm home!" before closing and locking the door behind him.

"Welcome home, Naruto." The blonde froze for a moment, surprised, before remembering that yes, Haku was going to be living with him now. Following the girl's voice to one of the bedrooms, Naruto found Haku resting on a bed set in the middle of a bare room. "Hello Naruto."

"Hi, Haku. Glad to be out of the of the hospital? That place always drives me crazy." Haku smiled sadly.

"I don't really remember anything else."

"Oh…right." Naruto mentally hit himself for being stupid. '_Quick! How do I apologize for being stupid to a girl?_'

'_Offer to help decorate her room tomorrow._'

'_But what about my training?_' Naruto whined to the sword.

'_Do you want to apologize or not?_' Sighing, Naruto made the offer.

"Really?" Haku smiled, taking away Naruto's breathe with its brilliance. "Thank you Naruto. I was nervous about going out on my own." Naruto sighed, submitting himself to losing a day of training.

"No problem Haku. I'm going to go get ready for bed. We've got a long day tomorrow." Smiling at the dark-haired girl, Naruto left the room and quickly found his way to the other bedroom. There was more in this room, though most of it was in boxes at the moment. Digging through them long enough to find the toiletries Naruto went about readying himself for bed. "The worst part of this is that I don't even know where I'm going to take her to find decorations."

* * *

The next day was unpleasant in ways that his teenaged mind could have only dreamed. The morning hadn't started to badly. While Haku's personal memories seemed beyond hope, she had apparently retained abilities linked to her motor skills. Upon waking up(far earlier then Naruto) Haku had set about making breakfast for the both of them using the healthy foods Iruka had had stocked in Naruto's new fridge and kitchen cabinets. It wasn't ramen, but Naruto could admit it wasn't bad. Haku had beamed at the compliment, something Naruto actually noticed thanks to his improving observation skills via genjutsu practice. Afterwards, they both dressed to go outside and departed. After spending a few hours ignoring angry looks and attempting to get reasonable service from different shops, Naruto decided it was time to change tactics. Haku looked confused when Naruto pressed a hand against the rune on his chest, but marveled when their appearances changed. "Let's try this again." Naruto muttered as they walked into one of the last stores in the area that sold home furnishings.

* * *

'_Naruto Uzumaki…if you ever force us to listen to a saleswoman for several hours in a row again, demon lord or not, I WILL fry your brain._' Naruto nodded numbly, not realizing that he was responding physically to the mental question.

'_At least we're done right? And Haku seemed to really like everything we got._' Black Mirage grumbled some more, but did not actively pursue the subject any further. Sword and ninja both just wanted to forget having to spend the rest of the morning and part of an afternoon listening to a pushy saleswoman try to unload every item she could on to the two teens. '_Almost would have been worth dropping the illusions and getting kicked out…oh crap! They're delivering the stuff tonight, what'll they do when they see that they sold to me?_'

'_Don't be present obviously, or keep up the disguise._'

"Naruto, I'm hungry." As if the words were a summoning, Naruto's stomach choose that moment to growl. Laughing in embarrassment and scratching the back of his neck, Naruto reached out with his other arm gently guided her down a turn, dropping their disguises.

"I know just the place! They have the best ramen in Konoha, and old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame are really nice." Naruto babbled excitedly about one his favorite places in the world to the older girl who smiled and giggled at his happy stories of the ramen stand. By the time they arrived, Haku was excited to meet the chef and his daughter. Practically dragging her up to the stools, Naruto shouted for a large order of Miso ramen. Teuchi chuckled as he started on the order.

"Oh, what about your date there, what does she want?" Naruto blushed at the old cook's teasing tone.

"I-It's not a date! We're just having lunch!" Ayame had a good giggle at the blonde's expense while Haku merely smiled.

"I'll have a shrimp ramen please." Ayame hung around the counter as her father cooked, her curiosity preventing her from leaving.

"Sooo….how do you know each other?"

"Naruto is taking care of me because I've lost my memories." Ayame gasped.

"How terrible!" Ayame turned to Naruto. "It's so sweet of you to take care of her." Naruto shook his head.

"'I'm not sweet. It's all my fault Haku lost her memories." Haku laid a hand on Naruto's arm.

"It's not your fault Naruto. The Hokage explained the circumstances to me in the hospital after we meet. You were just trying to avenge your friend."

"I got carried away. I shouldn't have done that."

"As long as you didn't mean to, I forgive you." Ayame 'aww'd' as Haku patted Naruto's hand, causing the blonde to blush. Luckily, the arrival of their order prevented Naruto from being further embarrassed. The meal was pretty darn quiet until a familiar voice jolted Naruto.

"Hello Naruto, Haku-san." The blonde whirled shouting 'Kakashi-sensei!'. Haku turned around far more sedately, curious about the unfamiliar man who seemed to know her name.

"Yo." The grey-haired Jounin said with a nonchalant wave seeing Haku looking at him. "Naruto, I've been looking for you. Hokage-sama told me that he'd arranged a tutor for you, Ebisu-san correct?"

"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "He's alright, I guess. Just really stiff."

"Hmm." Kakashi noised noncommittally. "You do realize that he's looking for you right? Apparently you skipped today's lesson…" Naruto's eyes bugged out.

"Oh crap! I forgot to tell him that I was taking Haku out to buy her some stuff!" Hurrying to gulp down the last of his ramen, Naruto quickly tossed down enough money to cover his and Haku's orders. "Sorry Haku, I've got to go! Kakashi-sensei, please walk Haku back to the apartment." Haku and Kakashi watched as Naruto shrank into the distance, yelling. Looking thoughtful, Kakashi turned to Haku.

"So, care to hear a few stories about Naruto while I give you a tour of Konoha? One of my other students, Sasuke, and I won't be leaving until tomorrow for training so I have a little free time." Haku lit up a bit, eager to learn about the boy that she was staying with and Kakashi eye-smiled back, curious about just how complete the kunoichi's memory loss was.

* * *

"Razzing frazzing uptight as-Ouch!" Rubbing his newest welt, Naruto rolled across the surface of the hot spring to dodge the next rock from Ebisu. The same sized, painfully large rocks the elite tutor had been chucking at him since they restarted training around 3 O'clock. Ebisu had not been pleased when his new student had showed up late on only his second day of training…very, very late. This had quickly lead to 'advanced water walking' training. Advanced in this case meaning that Ebisu was randomly throwing rocks at Naruto while the Genin dodged or parried with Black Mirage. Naruto had protested this only until Ebisu offered to use the preferred training tools of fellow special Jounin Anko Mitarashi - kunai and shuriken. After _that_ nightmare inducing offer Naruto limited himself to comments under his breath.

"I am impressed Uzumaki-san. Your ability to learn under pressure is most impressive." Naruto absently blocked a rock aimed at his knee.

"Huh?"

"While you made some improvements yesterday, they were minimal compared to the staggering advances in water walking you've made today in a shorter time period." Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses absently. "You're quite lucky actually. Most shinobi struggle under fire, and are forced to train themselves to handle the pressure of a life-or-death situation. You, on the other hand, seem to _thrive_ when pressed. A very useful trait." Naruto blinked, then smiled.

"Guess I'm just awesome, huh?" Ebisu snorted.

"Don't allow a happy accident of birth to inflate your ego beyond control. Accept your good luck and continue to work on your flaws and weaknesses. Still, that is enough for today. I will meet you tomorrow at 9 am on training ground 7. Dismissed." Waiting until Naruto was out of sight, Ebisu formed the seals for Shunshin and vanished in a swirl of leaves. Reappearing before the Hokage Tower, Ebisu made his way inside and through several security check-points before knocking on the Hokage's door.

"Come in, Ebisu." Not at all surprised that the venerable shinobi was perfectly aware of who was at his door, the special Jounin entered and bowed before the village leader.

"Hokage-sama, I have come to report Uzumaki-san's progress as you requested."

"Oh?" Hiruzen responded, putting aside an expense report to listen. "Just how is Naruto-kun doing under your care?"

"Startlingly well Hokage-sama. While I was punishing Uzumaki-san for being unforgivably tardy, I confirmed without doubt that Uzumaki-san is definitely a 'learn by doing' type. Calm and inventive under fire as well."

"No doubt a mix of Naruto's innate personality and the combined efforts of the Kyuubi and Black Mirage." The Hokage stated, smirking slightly. Ebisu hesitated slightly, but continued his report.

"Yes, well, by the end of today's training Uzumaki-san was able to maintain an even footing on water despite evasive movements and defending himself against projectiles. I'm actually not sure what to teach him next. Given his record at the Academy I expected him to be practicing water walking for another 12 days." Sarutobi laughed.

"Naruto does love shocking people." Schooling his features, the old shinobi contemplated Naruto's unexpected progress in the Chuunin level chakra control exercise. '_Knowing Naruto-kun, he practiced tireless and without breaks while he was with Ebisu. Something few non-Jounin could manage. Still…_'

"Teach him Shunshin."

"…Hokage-sama?"

"As encouragement, I told Naruto that if he improved swiftly enough I would consider having him taught Shunshin. Two days is swift enough I suppose."

"But why Shunshin Hokage-sama?" Ebisu asked, fidgeting nervously with his glasses. "Shunshin can be dangerous to an inexperienced user."

"There is some risk yes, but I'm certain a skilled teacher such as yourself would be able to minimize the dangers. As for why, Naruto expressed some interest in the skill, and as it is not an overly destructive technique I feel that it is safe enough to teach to him. Given the fire and genjutsu abilities Naruto demonstrated in the second exam, the Body Flicker should help round out his skills."

"Ah." Ebisu nodded.

"Don't let him spend all his time on Shunshin Ebisu. In fact…" The Hokage rummaged through his desk, producing a slip of paper which handed to the special Jounin. "After spending the morning on Shunshin, please introduce Naruto to this person in the afternoon, and so they can help Naruto with his Kenjutsu skills." Ebisu examined the name, humming vaguely as he tried to place the name.

"As you wish Hokage-sama. I shall introduce them." '_As soon as I figure out who they are._'

* * *

The next day found Naruto arriving at training ground 7 well before 9 am. It was partly because he was excited to continue his training, but mostly because of what he'd woken up to. After Naruto had gotten home last night, he'd found Haku waiting for him in the living room. After shaking off the slight creepiness of Haku waiting at the door, Naruto had said hello and the two spent the rest of the day talking. Well, Naruto talked a lot, Haku mostly listened though she had expressed a desire to meet the rest of rookie genin. Naruto had made a mental note to introduce the older girl to Ino and Sakura really soon. He was going to be busy training, and he didn't want Haku to have nothing to do all day. When they'd gone to bed, Naruto had expected the next morning to be a bit of repeat of the previous day - only without the shopping. Instead, he'd woken up feeling warm and cozy because sometime in the night Haku had crawled into his bed and latched on to him. Stuttering and blushing, Naruto had tried to pry himself free with out waking up Haku, but she'd snapped awake as soon as he tried.

"Naruto…?"

"H-Hey Haku. What're you doing in my bed?" The sleepiness in the girl's eyes had vanished at that question and she'd responded by burying her face in his shoulder and mumbling something. "Haku?" He had asked again. Tilting her head slightly, so her face was visible, Haku had repeated her statement.

"I had a nightmare. A man in strange clothes with brown eyes and black hair was hunting me." Naruto flinched, recognizing Black Mirage's avatar. When Haku had fallen silent after that Naruto responded by clumsily patting her on the back.

"Oh…well anytime you have a nightmare, you can come to me ok?" Despite the smile he'd gotten in response to the offer, Naruto had still felt as he'd done something he would regret one day. After breakfast, Naruto had headed out the door, claiming his training to get away from the awkwardness only he seemed to feel. So, here he'd ended up, almost 15 minutes early.

"I'm pleased to see that you made the effort to be on time today." Naruto snapped out his reflection at the sound of Ebisu's voice.

"Hey! I didn't mean to be late yesterday. I just forgot 'cause…never mind." Ebisu looked sideways at Naruto, but let the subject go.

"Yes, well, I'm glad that you showed up on time. It will require a great deal of time for you to master Shunshin." Naruto's jaw dropped at that.

"Shunshin? Really?" Ebisu smiled, just a little.

"In two days you were able to defend yourself against attack while water walking without problem. Hokage-sama felt that was significant enough progress to honor the deal between you two."

"Yes!" Naruto cheered. "Thank you old man!"

"Yes yes." Ebisu muttered, withdrawing a scroll from a pouch. "On this scroll you will find instructions and details on the Shunshin. I expect you to keep this hidden from your fellow genin and safe from thieves. This is for your own review." Naruto nodded solemnly, accepting the scroll. Adopting a lecturing pose, Ebisu began explaining the methods to Shunshin. The hand seals to use, the way to mold chakra, and then finally, the warnings. "There are three main dangers when employing Shunshin. The first is the movement itself. An inexperienced or distracted user will often crash into something. Or they will injure themselves with a poorly planned movement." Naruto nodded, having injured himself a time or two by tripping. "The second danger is the chakra 'noise' created by Shunshin. Any shinobi with the slightest skill at chakra sensing will be able to predict your point of arrival. And finally, the chakra discharge of the technique itself. If you are unable to properly channel the chakra through your legs, it will cause burnout along your chakra pathways." Naruto nodded, bouncing slightly in excitement.

"So, can I start now?" Ebisu shook his head.

"We'll practice molding chakra first, it is a vital step." Naruto rolled his eyes, but did as he was told…for next TWO hours. Practicing starting and ending Shunshin, learning to sink the exerted chakra into the ground so it wouldn't tear apart his chakra pathways; it was so aggravating not getting to actually try it. Ebisu seemed to pick up on this, 'cause around 11 he suddenly nodded. "That is enough for now. If you'd like to try, you may do so now." Whooping, Naruto brought his hands up for the needed seals. Focusing, Naruto decided to try for a short jump and aimed for the space between the three wooden posts on the training ground.

"Shunshin no jutsu(Body Flicker technique)."

The world blurred around Naruto, becoming a disorienting rush of mixed colors as his mind tried to process what his eyes were seeing. It hadn't happened when old man Hokage had taken him along and Naruto didn't expect it now, so it threw him off. Enough that his aim went…a little sideways.

_Crunch!_

Ebisu winced. Head long straight into a solid wooden post. "I had better examine him. Don't want him to die after all."

* * *

'_You know, that little accident reminds me of the time Nigel mixed dreamweed and dwarvish holy water before casting Dimensional Door._' Naruto groaned, trying to process the comment Mirage made as he regained consciousness.

'_What door?_'

'_I'll explain some other time. Your teacher is standing over you._' Prying his eyes open, Naruto stared up, finding Ebisu stared back down at him. Seeing the blonde's eyes open, Ebisu his hand out with a few digits extended.

"How many fingers am I holding up Uzumaki-san?"

"…3?"

"Close enough." Ebisu allowed. "But perhaps we should continue this another day." Naruto nodded, closing his eyes.

"I do have something you might like Uzumaki-san. Hokage-sama located a possible tutor for your kenjutsu skills, and using Kage Bunshin while you were unconscious I managed to find them."

"That's good. I'm going to lay here a little longer 'cause it hurts when I move." Shrugging, Ebisu sat on a nearby rock. It was a nice day out, he could stand to wait a little longer.

* * *

Humming softly, Tenten ran a kunai across an oiled whetstone. At the moment, Konoha's youngest weapon mistress was seated on a stool behind the counter of her adoptive father's weapon shop. Her enormous personal armory was not cheap, but Hachi, her foster father, had offered her a deal. If she manned the shop counter, he'd supply her with her weapons equal to the pay he would have had to give to a regular cashier. It was a decent deal. Hachi would have had to hire a cashier anyways, and this way Tenten got the weapons she wanted. The one thing Tenten didn't like about the deal was how boring it was waiting for customers.

_Ding ding_

Putting aside the latest kunai she'd been sharpening, Tenten looked up and smiled. "Welcome to Hachi's House of Arms, how can I help you?" Tenten's smiled dropped off when she saw who had walked in. "Oh, hi Naruto, Jounin-san." Naruto stared a moment before recognizing her.

"Hey, it's the weapon girl from the second Exam! Tenten right?" Tenten sighed. She hadn't exactly made a good impression there. Throwing the fight with guys in the academy to set up for later fights, getting steamrolled by Gaara…not her best week.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Excellent." Said the unfamiliar man standing next to Naruto. "Tenten-san, Hokage-sama would like to request a favor from you." The kunoichi's eyes widened as a look of comprehension passed over Naruto's.

"Hokage-sama?" Tenten squeaked. "Really?" Ebisu nodded, handing her a scroll which she opened and read. There wasn't too terribly much written on the scroll, but it did contain a message from the Hokage himself requesting that Tenten help Naruto with his kenjutsu if she could spare a little time in the afternoons. Putting the scroll down, Tenten looked up. "So, lessons in the afternoons? I can do that."

"Excellent." Ebisu declared. "I shall leave you two to work out a schedule." The special Jounin departed quickly, the bells jingling as the door closed.

"So." Naruto said, stepping up to the counter. "When are you free?" Tenten quirked an eyebrow, but let it go. It was a legitimate question after all.

"Not today. I'm watching the shop for my dad. We can start tomorrow. That good enough?" Naruto nodded.

"Sure. Can I ask you a question though? Do you know where Ino Yamanaka lives?" Given her teammates, Tenten had had the options of developing a very odd sense of humor or losing her mind. So, when presented with a prime target, she of course hit it with her usual accuracy. Making sure her expression serious, but inquisitive, Tenten let fly.

"If you're trying to set up a threesome, could you pick some one less annoying?" There was a moment of total shock on Naruto's face before he turned fire-engine red.

"W-What? Threesome?" Tenten managed to hold it in for a little while before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh my Kami! The look on your face 'snort'….priceless!" Naruto managed to blush an even darker red as Tenten was forced to cling to the countertop to keep herself from falling off her stool. "Oh…oh…I can't _breathe_!" Groaning, Naruto face palmed as Black Mirage piped in.

'_Oh suck it up. It was just a dirty suggestion._'

'_But, but…_'

'_You're an assassin boy. A little raunchy humor shouldn't be that bad. Besides, I expect you pick up a vice of your own someday. Lechery is quite common among my wielders, and always enjoyable._' Naruto's face went blank as he tried to figure out what Mirage was trying to say. Luckily, Tenten missed it as she was still trying to control her laughter.

'_What do you mean vice?_'

'_Later wielder, in private._'

"Ok, ok, I'm done now. Here." Grabbing a scrap of paper and pencil, Tenten quickly scribbled down the address of the Yamanaka flower shop. "She'll either be here or they'll know where she is. See ya tomorrow." Waving back at her, Naruto left as quick as he could without being rude to his newest tutor.

'_Seriously, what's with this vice thing?_'

'_Later, tonight._' Naruto growled, frustrated by the lack of answers. Deciding to put it off for now, Naruto glanced down at the paper in his hand and headed off. Best talk to Ino while he had the time.

* * *

Sighing melodramatically, Ino stared at the door from behind the counter of her clan's flower shop. Because both of her teammates were in the Third Exam, Ino found herself adrift since team 10 wasn't taking missions this month. Asuma was busy training Shikamaru and Choji and daddy was busy with some security thing that had most of the higher-ups in a tizzy. So, here she was, rotting away, nothing absolutely noth-"

_BANG!_

Squawking, Ino feel out her chair as Naruto burst through the door of the shop shouting "Ino!"

"WHAT THE HELL NARUTO!" Ino screamed back, jumping back to her feet. Naruto flinched back, hand twitching to the rune on his chest for a moment before settling back down.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't find this place." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, Ino, could you do me a really big favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Ino asked cautiously, leery of getting caught in one Naruto's pranks.

"You see, there's this girl called Haku who's rooming with me, and she could really use a female friend…"

* * *

Quietly, Naruto stalked along one of the more remote paths of Konoha. Technically, this was a bit dangerous but it was worth it. Answers were needed. Seeing a thicket of blackberry bushes that looked reasonably undisturbed, Naruto carefully made his way to the center of it. Seating himself, Naruto drew out Black Mirage and wove an Invisibility technique around himself. That done, the blonde reached into his mind and for his partner/weapon.

'_Mirage, we need to talk._'

The sword answered immediately. '_I suppose we do. You want to discuss what I meant by vice earlier today?_'

'_Damn right!_' Mirage sighed.

'_While I definitely enjoy being famous or infamous, whatever the case may be depending on my current wielder, that is just…a perk. My _price _is something else. As a sword, my ability enjoy life is…limited. I can only really feel what my wielder feels. So, I demand that each being that wields me indulge in one vice or another. Sex, drinking, murder, wealth…I would not suggest experimenting with increasingly bizarre and potent mixes of mind-altering substances. It ends badly._'

'_You CAN'T be serious!_' Naruto's eyes twitched under their lids. '_What happens if I don't do one of those things?_' The blonde felt Mirage tense.

'_I suppose I can't expect a child to ready to dive into sin, so I wouldn't do anything right now. But, in a few years, if you still haven't picked something for me to enjoy…then we would have to re-examine our working relation._

'_Is that a threat?_' Naruto enjoyed adventure movies, so when he said that to Mirage, he had expected the sentient sword to say something like 'no, it is a promise' or something, well, cheesy.

'_Yes._' Mirage responded firmly and instantly. '_It is a threat._' Naruto blinked, the hairs on his neck rising up. '_While I can be quite amiable, I am first and foremost a mercenary. This is something you should remember._' Naruto growled.

'_If you're going to turn on me, then why shouldn't I just get rid of you right now?_' Black Mirage laughed.

'_I'm a Mercenary, boy. That means I work for the highest bidder until the contract is complete so my reputation ensures that I stay employed. You have some time left, Naruto._' Black Mirage's presence withdrew into the depths of Naruto's mind, laughing. Scowling, Naruto stood up.

"The old man is not going to like this."

* * *

"I'm not sure this a good idea Ino." Ino rolled her eyes, making sure to keep pushing Sakura along.

"Don't be so uptight Forehead. This isn't about you and me but a poor girl who needs friends."

"But she's dangerous!"

"If she was really dangerous, do you think she would have been let into the village? Don't be such a baby." Sakura protested being called a baby, given how easily the ice-using kunoichi had beaten Sasuke, but that was all she managed before the two girls arrived. Sakura feel silent, pouting as Ino knocked at the door.

"Coming." A sweet voice called out. When the door opened up, Ino felt a burst of shock. Haku was gorgeous. A traditional beauty with pale skin, delicate features, and hair as black as a raven's wing. Ino twitched a bit as Haku smiled at them. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Are you Haku?"

"I am." Ino smiled back at her.

"I'm Ino, and this is Sakura. You probably don't remember her. Anyways, Naruto thought you'd like some company since he's busy training for the Third Exam." Haku's smile widened and she opened the door all the way.

"Naruto-kun asked you to come over? He really is trying to take care of me, isn't he?" Sakura looked askance at the slightly dreamy tones Haku used. Ino however leaned forward slightly, eyes intense.

"Oh, you sound really happy about that." Haku looked puzzled as she closed the door.

"Why wouldn't I? Naruto is very kind to me." Ino 'hmm'ed, letting the subject drop for the moment as she took in the sight of disorganized new furniture and the trash from the packaging.

"So…" Ino started "what's with all of this?"

"The Hokage helped me and Naruto in setting up this apartment. The people from the store delivered everything Naruto and I picked out yesterday but I'm having trouble arranging everything to my liking." Ino smirked slightly, seeing a chance to make friends with the older girl AND show off her excellent fashion senses.

"Don't worry about it! Me and Sakura will help you. Won't we, Forehead?" Haku looked confused, but grateful as Ino and Sakura glared at each other.

* * *

Slumping, Naruto slipped into the small house he now shared with Haku. As expected, Sarutobi had not been happy to learn what Black Mirage expected from his surrogate grandson. The two had sat down together and discussed exactly what Mirage wanted and what Naruto's options were. The blonde had been a little shocked to find out just how many vices there were for one to indulge in. The conversation solved nothing, and it was exhausting mentally trying to take in all this unwelcome information, but at least now the old man knew about this newest twist in his life and was willing to help him.

"I'm home Haku."

"Welcome home Naruto, what do you think of our new furniture?" Managing a smile, Naruto quickly praised the arrangement, before changing the subject to avoid discussing the furniture set-up in depth.

"How was your day Haku? Did Ino ever manage to come by?" Haku smiled happily as she grabbed Naruto's hand and lead him to the dining room where she'd set up dinner.

"She did, thanks to you. She even brought another friend of hers with her. That Sakura girl seems very shy though." Naruto's eyes widened at the thought of Sakura being shy.

"Oh really, what did you girls talk about?" Listening to Haku describe the afternoon as they ate, Naruto felt himself relax. It felt nice to come home to someone.

'_Heh. Wait until you start having sex with the people you come home to._' Naruto blushed wildly at the sword's comment, drawing attention from Haku as he sputtered back at the blade.

'_S-shut up! I'm not talking to you right now!_' Mirage sent a sensation of amusement to his wielder.

'_For now, but we fight together too well for you to ignore me forever._' Pushing that thought aside for now, Naruto scrambled to explain his sudden blush to Haku.

"it wasn't you Haku-chan, just a crazy though he he he…"

* * *

'_Ok, I can do this. I can DO this!_'

"Shunshin no Jutsu." Molding chakra and flipping through the correct seals, Naruto attempted to Body Flicker correctly for the umpteenth time that day while Ebisu watched. The target was a red circle spray-painted on the grass by the special Jounin. The world seemed to rush by(though that seemed less disorienting the more he tried the technique) as Naruto _moved_ thanks to the high-speed technique. The blonde was delighted when he managed to land on the red line, but it was washed away when enough momentum stuck with him that Naruto ended up stumbling from his landing spot. Shaking his head, Ebisu critiqued his student's latest attempt.

"Movement _and_ chakra Uzumaki-san. You must control both in order to perform Shunshin correctly."

"I'll get it eventually." Naruto muttered, straightening up from his stumble. Ebisu sighed, glancing at the damaged trees and bushes from Naruto's earlier mishaps then back at Naruto.

"Eventually." Ebisu allowed. "But not today. It is almost noon. I assume you want to eat before starting your kenjutsu lessons?" Nodding, Naruto headed towards one of the training grounds stumps where his hand-made lunch awaited. As he started in on the meal, Naruto couldn't help but recall the snort of amusement Ebisu had made upon learning that the bento was made by Haku. Why the special Jounin had done that, Naruto wasn't sure, but he suspected that the older man was having a laugh at his expense. Still…who cared? Haku made good food. Well, better food then him anyways. Nothing compared to Ichiraku's Ramen. With that thought, Naruto finished the last of the bento and raced off to meet Tenten for lessons.

* * *

"I just don't like the idea of you spending time alone with a boy…especially one with a reputation for trouble." Tenten rolled her eyes as she gathered up some of her old kenjutsu scrolls for Naruto's upcoming lesson. Hachi had reacted about the same way when he found out who her teacher was, though he'd calmed down a lot faster. Naruto, though, really seemed to make her father nervous for some reason.

"Don't worry Hachi. He might go a little crazy with the pranks, but Naruto seems like a decent guy." The few times she'd actually meet the guy but at least he hadn't come off as a total ass in those few meetings and she was more then capable of defending herself, disastrous fight with Gaara no Sabaku(of the Desert) not withstanding.

"Yes yes." Hachi murmured distractedly. "Just…be careful." Rolling her eyes, Tenten headed out the back of the shop with her supplies.

"I will Hachi. Will you please tell Naruto how to get out back for his lesson when he shows up?" Hachi's eyes widened manically as he picked up one of his heavier steel hammers. Hefting it to stretch out his arm, Hachi nodded.

"Of course Tenten-chan. I'll be sure to…show him." Crossing his arms, Hachi waited for Naruto to show up. Happily, the blonde arrived in minutes, looking excited. Grin widening, Hachi moved towards him…

It took Naruto a while to remember how to get to Tenten's place after he finished off lunch, but the blonde finally found the weapon shop with about 20 minutes of searching. Rushing into the place Naruto took a breath to announce his presence when a muscular and soot spotted arm wrapped around the genin's neck and gave an uncomfortable squeeze.

"Hello Uzumaki-san. I'm Hachi, and this is my shop. Tenten, your tutor, is my daughter." Naruto's face paled from fright as well as the increasing lack of air from Hachi's tight grip. He'd overheard about this from older boys.

"I'm not…_gasp_…going to do _gasp_ anything naughty…_gasp_ to Tenten!" Hachi's grip tightened.

"That's the first thing you think of? What the hell were you planning on doing to her?"

"URK!" '_Oh shit! Help!_' Naruto found Black Mirage's laughter _really_ unhelpful as the smith maintained the hold for a little bit longer before loosening enough for the genin to breathe. Bringing his hammer up for Naruto to see, Hachi leaned down and whispered in the blonde's ear.

"Now listen here boy. You might be a ninja, but I am a father and if you hurt my little girl I will _end_ you, understand?" Naruto nodded frantically. "Good." Hachi rumbled, completely letting go of the genin. Groaning, Naruto rubbed his sore throat as he turned to finally get a look at Tenten's father. Stout seemed to be the defining word for the man. At 5' 2", Hachi wasn't too terribly tall, but the middle-aged smith was over 2 feet wide at the shoulders. The heavily muscled man's thinning hair was pitch black, as was the stubble stubbornly clinging to his jaw and chin. To round out the man's rugged appearance, his deeply tanned skin was spotted with scars, mostly burns. Add in a huge frigging hammer and you had one scary 'angry father' figure. Smirking at the boy's frightened look, Hachi pointed over his shoulder at a door leading out the back. "Tenten is expecting you out back in the practice yard. Don't keep her waiting." Watching the genin scramble away, Hachi chuckled. "That ought to keep him on his best behavior."

* * *

Tenten was warming up with a very basic kata when she heard a crashing sound from inside the shop. Pausing, Tenten watched the door leading outside until Naruto rushed out, looking a little pale. Sighing, Tenten sheathed her practice katana and put it aside before crossing her arms. "Let me guess, dad introduced you to his hammer." Naruto nodded, regaining color now that he wasn't in a headlock. "Try not to think about it ok? Dad is very…intense." Naruto shivered a little. "Anyways, to start off with, I want you to know that I take my training very seriously. You've got a little under a month before the Third Exam starts, and from what I've seen we have a lot of ground to cover." Naruto winced, before straightening up.

"I've gotten better since that mini-exam thing." Tenten smirked without malice at the blonde.

"Well, I would certainly hope so. You were pretty clumsy there." Reaching over, Tenten picked up her katana. "Ok, draw your sword and let me take a look at what you can do with it." Nodding, Naruto reached into his chest tattoo and drew out one of the finest blades Tenten had ever seen. The decorations were not very eye-catching despite their quality, but the craftsmanship of the blade and hilt… Shaking the thought away for now, Tenten told Naruto to show her a kata. Silently, the weapon mistress watched him work through the exercise, noting any mistakes he made or particular difficulties he had using a sword almost as long as he was tall. Tenten let him go on for 15 minutes before holding a hand up to stop him. "Ok, that's enough. Can I check your sword's weight and balance?" Naruto shook his head immediately.

"No way! Black Mirage attacks anyone who touches him but me." Tenten looked interested, leaning forward slightly.

"Oh, your sword has ownership and defense seals?" Naruto snorted.

"More like he enjoys crushing people's minds." Tenten blinked.

"Huh?" Deciding his teacher deserved some explanation, Naruto sighed and started fiddling with some of his outfits decorations. He would have had to explained where he learned his current sword style at some point anyways.

"Black Mirage isn't just some sword. He's actually alive. Bit of an asshole some times, but he's "alive." Tenten blinked slowly as Mirage silently sent Naruto the image of a one-fingered salute.

"Naruto…" Tenten said carefully, using tones usually reserved for the senile. "Swords can't be alive." Naruto stared back at her, frustrated. Short of putting Black Mirage in her hands, he couldn't prove that the sword was alive, and he definitely didn't want another person to lose their memories. Huffing, Naruto let go of his ninja outfit.

"Fine, whatever. You still can't touch the sword." While this exchange was a little worrying, Tenten had honestly seen worse(twice) from her sensei. Putting it aside for now, the weapon mistress resolved to ask about the sword's defensive seals later.

"Well, as best as I can tell, you're using your sword like a light-weight Zanbotou. Not exactly my specialty, but we can clean your style up and add a few techniques." Telling the blonde to wait a moment, Tenten disappeared into the storage shed built in the practice yard. She emerged shortly afterwards lugging a wooden practice sword bigger then she was. Taking a stance, Tenten held the practice sword up in a ready position. "Ok. Lets get started."

* * *

**Author's Note:** No action, but plenty of plot(possibly).

Before anyone asks, yes, Naruto mastered water walking in a day and a half. My reasoning for this is quite simple. In canon, our favorite blonde managed to master the skill quite quickly and that was WITH the 5-Season Seal screwing up his chakra. Here, he had more practice using his chakra for something other then shadow Clones and no extra Seal, so day and a half. You might have noticed that Naruto hasn't really said anything to Kakashi, but he hasn't had a reason to. The Hokage had set Naruto up with a tutor himself, and I doubt Naruto would question that too deeply. Kakashi of course is a private individual and would probably be glad that his students aren't up set by this set up. Some people might be a little unhappy about how fast Naruto seems to have forgotten about Sakura but honestly, he is very busy right now. Plus, why would he try to have two girls who fought each other in battle be friends?

Anywho, there will be a time skip in the next chapter, starting us off on the day or maybe two days before the Exam. Let the first moves of the invasion begin!


	10. Chapter 10

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Preparation is for the uninspired…or the unfortunate…idiots hacks…maybe the untalented…does anyone know what we were doing again?" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

_The night before the Third Exam_...

"What's got you moping, Naruto-kun?" The blonde jumped slightly, looking up from where he'd spent the last 15 minutes swirling his ramen with chopsticks instead of eating.

"What was that Ayame? I wasn't listening." The waitress blinked, then sighed. Crossing her arms, Ayame leaned forward, resting on her elbows.

"Ok Naruto-kun, spill. What could possibly distract _you_ from ramen of all things?" Naruto chuckled. It was a fair question given his love for the foodstuff of the kami.

"Just…things Ayame." Ayame waited patiently, employing her skills as a waitress and a woman to stare directly(it seemed) into Naruto's soul and fill him with an ever-increasing desire to spill his guts. The blonde squirmed and tried to look away, but Ayame kept _staring_ at him. Finally, Naruto broke under the weight from his pseudo-sister's look. "I think I've been unfaithful to Sakura-chan!" Ayame face-planted at this, smacking right into the floor of her father's shop. Happily, they kept the place clean.

"U-Unfaithful?" Ayame stuttered, clawing her way back to her feet, eye twitching. "I didn't know the two of you were together." Naruto flushed.

"Well, not yet." Ayame rolled her eyes while Naruto looked down at his cold ramen in embarrassment.

"If you're not together, then how could you have been unfaithful?" Naruto's head snapped up in shock, staring at Ayame who grinned mischievously. "Sooo…what did you do that made you think you were 'straying'?" Naruto flushed, shaking his head rapidly. "Too late now Naruto-kun!" Ayame giggled. "I'm going to find out one way or another, you mind as well just tell me." It took some more wheedling, and a teasing threat to cut Naruto off from Ichiraku for a few days, but Ayame finally got Naruto to spill.

"Well…" Naruto started slowly, absently continuing to stir the ramen in front of him. "You remember Haku-chan right? The girl staying with me." Ayame nodded, easily recalling the delicate beauty that she'd seen with Naruto. Naruto sighed. "I've been feeling funny around her. Sorta warm and fuzzy." Ayame let out an 'aww' at this, getting a dirty look from Naruto. When Ayame merely grinned at him, Naruto continued talking. "She helps me get ready in the morning. She always greets me when I get home from training." There was a clicking sound as the sticks in Naruto's hand hit the bottom of the bowl. "I've never spent so much time with anyone before. I talk to her about everything and she always listens, smiling for me." Naruto paused, blindly groping for the right words. "It's…nice." Ayame's little grin turned into a full smile. After her introduction to the Ichiraku ramen stand almost a month ago, Haku had made it a point to visit Teuchi and Ayame regularly as part of her efforts to familiarize herself with her new home. Ino and Sakura were often with her, the older and more patient girl acting as a buffer in their fighting. Ayame suspected that Haku was having a positive influence on the two kunoichi's friendship, but the waitress was more interested in the quieter visits, when Haku came by herself. Visits that usually revolved around life and, well, not love yet, but definitely like. Haku was at least interested in her blonde roomie, and Ayame approved. Haku was so much calmer and leveler headed then Sakura and while Ayame loved Naruto like a little brother, the boy _so_ needed a calming influence. Someone kind, someone thoughtful, someone who _didn't_ pound Naruto's head in when he made a mistake. Not that Ayame had seen much of that lately, but still, the thought was there.

"Nice huh? There's nothing wrong with that, huh Naruto?" The blonde flushed at the teasing tone of her voice.

"Ayame!" The waitress laughed until she started hiccupping, gesturing weakly at the pout on Naruto's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Why don't we talk about something else? Like tomorrow, maybe? You're in the Third Exam after all." Naruto quickly lost his pout to beam at her.

"Are you going to wish me luck Ayame?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun!" The older girl reached out and pinched Naruto's cheek. "There. A pinch for good luck. It is supposed to be a kiss from a pretty girl, but I think I'll leave that for Haku, right?" Ayame finished with a wink, fully exercising her 'big sister teasing' rights.

"AY-_AME!_" Naruto wailed, turning bright red. Containing her snickers, Ayame composed herself again.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop. But seriously Naruto-kun, good luck tomorrow." Naruto's smile was a little wane, but he did smile.

"Thanks Ayame. I appreciate it." Nodding, the ramen stand waitress stepped away from the counter and dished out two servings of miso ramen in take-away containers.

"Here." She said, placing the containers in front of her favorite blonde. "I want you to take these and go home ok? Rest up for tomorrow. It wouldn't do to have the future Hokage lose because he's sleepy, right?" Laughing, Naruto picked up the containers while laying down money for the bowl he'd wasted just stirring plus tip.

"You're the best Ayame."

"I know." Ayame said proudly. "Say hello to Haku for me." Naruto murmured something unheard as he walked away but the waitress smirked anyway. "You'll thank me one day Naruto, when you're married to a nice girl with a couple of kids who are supporting dad's retirement with their ravenous Uzumaki ramen cravings!" Giggling, Ayame started cleaning up the stand for the night all the while imagining a line of adorable smiling blonde and raven-haired children ensuring her family business for another generation.

* * *

Haku was dozing on the couch of Naruto's apartment when she heard the door unlock. In an instant, the girl who'd once been Zabuza's living tool was on her feet and beside the door. It was an incredible display of speed and agility, something she found she had to get use to. For the most part, Haku seemed no different then most people, but when she got excited or frightened…she found herself possessing shinobi level skills. It had been disconcerting the first time, but when she had gone to Naruto in confusion her young host sat down with her and had answered every last question she had. It had not provided a great deal of information about her past, but she had learned a little of her abilities. Interesting perhaps, but honestly, the young woman felt no urge to take up her previous profession. The idea of fighting was unpleasant to her, and killing, repulsive. Haku felt she would be much happier as a civilian. Ino had even offered to ask her parents about Haku working in the Yamanaka flower shop. But that was something to think on later.

"I'm home!" Smiling, Haku took the tubs in Naruto's hands so he could remove his sandals.

"Welcome home Naruto. How was your day?"

"Good." Naruto said in what was for him, a quiet tone. "Ayame says hello."

"I noticed that you had visited her." Haku murmured, moving to the kitchen with Naruto in tow. The ramen was a dead give-away to where he'd been, though from what she understood, he didn't often do take-away from Ichiraku's. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" Naruto twitched slightly, surprised to hear the question from both Ayame and Haku..

"I think so." Naruto was almost astonished to hear the words coming from his own lips. It wasn't like him to be so unsure about something so big. Something Haku picked up on. Despite having only known Naruto for a month, Haku was clever and perceptive. It didn't hurt that she had learned a great deal about Naruto in a short time thanks to the Ichiraku family. Putting the containers down, Haku turned around.

"Naruto…what's wrong?" Naruto pasted a grin on his face.

"What are you talking about Haku-chan?" Haku barely paused a moment before grabbing Naruto's hand, trying to put him at ease.

"I can tell you're nervous. Why?" Naruto stared into Haku's eyes, quickly succumbing to her earnest curiosity. Trying to ignore Black Mirage's comments about him being a sucker for a pretty face, Naruto tugged Haku over to his kitchen table and sat her down.

"You're right about me being nervous." Naruto admitted. "I thought fighting in front of a big crowd would be cool, and I still kinda do…but what if I lose?" Naruto fidgeted, continuing before Haku could speak. "Do you remember what I told you about my sword?" Haku pursed her lips in thought.

"That I shouldn't touch it no matter what, because it was alive, angry, and it would hurt me if it could." Mirage made a noise of agreement as Naruto nodded. The old sword hated unfinished business.

"Black Mirage isn't just alive, he's old. Really old. He is so freaking old" _'Damnit boy, get to the fucking point!'_ "that he has all kinds of stories about wars, fighters, and all their techniques." Naruto took a deep breath. "Ever since he saw one of the ninja in the Exam the person he talks most about is this creepy dude named Caleb the Shifter. Caleb the Sand Shifter." Haku blinked, recalling that one of the genin Naruto had told her about from the Exam had used sand.

"Do you think the ninja is related to this Caleb person?" Naruto winced.

"I hope not. He was crazy as hell and so powerful that he ruled an entire desert, killing anyone who trespassed. And if Gaara has even just a part of that kind of power…that's why I'm worried. How am I supposed to fight someone who could summon sandstorms and turn people into dust just by touching them!" Haku squeezed Naruto's hand, concern growing. This wasn't just a case of the jitters; this was deep, confidence shaking unease. A truly dangerous state of mind on the battlefield, leading to careless mistakes and shortly thereafter…death. Haku squeezed Naruto's hand again as flashes of images and whispers of a voice crept to the fore of her thoughts. It was an idea, strange to her, but Naruto _needed_ something to settle him before the fighting tomorrow. Softly, Haku began to speak.

"Naruto-kun, I have an idea. It might be silly, but I think it will work…"

Naruto listened intently, expression becoming thoughtful as Haku laid out her idea for him.

* * *

_The morning of the Third Exam…_

"Move it faster Forehead! I told Haku that we'd meet her 5 minutes ago." Sakura huffed, but let Ino drag her along without pitching a fit. It was a strong sign of Ino and Sakura's recovering friendship that the pinkette didn't protest this manhandling. Neither girl called it 'friendship' though…more along the lines of friendly rivals. Still, even that much was only possible thanks to Haku's diplomatic interference. As Ino lead her up to the entrance of the Konoha arena, Sakura felt a bit of gratitude to the amnesiac Hyouton user. Sakura had missed Ino, just a little she told herself.

"Hello, Haku-san."

"Hi Haku! Hope you weren't waiting too long." Haku gave Ino a friendly smile and a more formal nod to Sakura, knowing the pinkette preferred to keep a distance between them.

"Not very long at all. I spent some wishing Naruto-kun good luck one last time before the Exam started." Ino grinned cheekily as a look of irritation flashed over Sakura's face.

"Wishing him luck? Is that anything like making out?" Ino giggled at the sight of Haku's blush while Sakura attempted to conceal a brief but furious twitch under her eye. While the pinkette was beginning to come around to the fact that Haku was now a member of Konoha, she still couldn't wrap her head around the idea of two people who'd once tried to kill each other, dating. Ino, on the other hand, once recovered from the shock of anyone other then Hinata actually liking Naruto, approved. The blond kunoichi had always been a sucker for tragic romance, the same thing that had once attracted her to Sasuke before he apparently lost his mind in the Forest of Death. After learning that Haku had lost her memory and was pining after Naruto, even a little, well, there was no way Ino wasn't going to encourage that!

"Ino, please! Naruto-kun and I do not have that sort of relationship!"

"Yet." Ino quipped back, tucking her arm in Haku's and started leading the older girl to the admissions gate for the arena. "So, tell me. What's Naruto's plan here? You think he has a shot at winning this?"

"I believe I shall keep it to myself." Sakura rolled her eyes at the rather audible pout in Ino's response.

"Aww, just give me a little hint Haku."

"Will you stop teasing me about my friendship with Naruto-kun?"

"No."

"Then no. Wait until he fights. It should be…interesting."

* * *

Genma Shiranui stood patiently in front of the massive crowd, casually chewing on his trademark senbon. Behind him, the 10 finalists for the Chuunin Exam stood in a rough line, most of them gazing up at the audience. Half of them, Genma corrected himself, glancing at the finalists out of the corners of his eyes. The sand-user, Gaara, was staring straight ahead. Genma doubted he was ignoring his opponents though, given the amount of sand that was already floating around. The Hyuuga girl was staring at her cousin in thinly hidden panic. Shikaku's boy was openly ignoring everyone to stare at the few clouds in the sky. Uzumaki, despite his reputation, was holding perfectly silent, eyes closed. The rest of the genin were staring/waving at the crowd. Seeing a quick hand signal from the Hokage to start the Third Exam was a blessing, given that 'Guy junior' had started shouting something about the Flames of Youth. Genma tried not to listen as he raised his hand and voice to catch everyone's attention; it was easier on his brain that way.

"Greetings one and all. I am Genma Shiranui and I will be proctoring the Third portion of the Chuunin Exam today. For you, the audience, I shall explain the rules." The crowd hushed in excitement, letting the careful designed acoustics carry Genma's words to the people. "This portion of the Exam consists of one-on-one matches. There are no time limits and all techniques and tools are allowed. The matches end in surrender, death, or my say so. Other then this, there are no other rules. The first match will be between Kankurou of Suna and Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha. The rest of the participants, please remove yourselves to your waiting area." Acknowledging the statement, the rest of the genin began to move. Up above, the Hokage began to speak, giving the teens time to depart in an orderly fashion with a welcoming speech. Soon enough though, the field was clear of everyone but Kankurou, Sasuke, and Genma who stepped back.

"Let the first match begin. Fight!"

* * *

'_Show me Sasuke. Show me what you have done so far with my gift._'

* * *

The moment the fight started Sasuke brought his hands together and began flying through seals, Sharingan flaring to life with both tomoe spinning. While his Sharingan could not see the Chakra strings that a puppeteer like Kankurou used to control their dolls, the Suna genin was nowhere near skilled enough with his art to hide a puppets unnatural movements from his detail oriented eyes should he manage a switch.

"Goukakyuu no jutsu(Great Fireball technique)!" Sasuke snarled, letting fly right at Kankurou who had not bothered to conceal himself on his puppet's back. Preparing to Kawarimi at a moments notice, Sasuke sped through the trail of his technique, hoping to catch the puppeteer off-guard in the blind spot it created. To Sasuke's surprise, the Suna ninja was gone. Instead, the Uchiha heir got to watch bandages unravel from Kankurou's favorite puppet. Clacking its teeth as if excited, the 3-eyed war-doll charged, limbs positioned oddly. Biting back a curse, Sasuke Kawarimi'ed away and began flipping through seals again.

"Goukakyu-" Sasuke's technique was interrupted mid-molding when Karasu's head spun to face him and fired a pair of kunai from its mouth. Recalling poisoned senbon firing from there in the preliminaries, simply dodged instead of deflecting the weapons. Continuing to fire, Karasu skittered across the distance between it and Sasuke. At the last second, it deployed hidden blades in its arms and began to stab and slice furiously. Drawing kunai, Sasuke dodged and blocked using his Sharingan to its utmost. He could not predict the puppets movement without muscles to watch, but Kakashi's month long training left him plenty fast enough to hold his own. Even plan. Or bitch.

'_Damn that coward, hiding behind a doll. Simply defending myself is a losing prospect, I need to find him, and quickly._' Pushing chakra into his feet, Sasuke launched himself away from Karasu. Reaching into his ammo pouch, Sasuke seized an Exploding tag and concealed it in the palm of his hand. Grinning, Sasuke offered a silent and very brief thanks to his teammate's surplus of the things. Expertly concealed in the sparse cover available on the arena floor, Kankurou scowled as his Uchiha opponent charged Karasu.

'_What the hell is that leaf-trash do- FUCK!_' Kankurou roared mentally as Sasuke slapped something on Karasu and then spun around the puppet to be protected when the Tag on its chest went off a half-moment later. A swell of noise poured off the audience at the explosion, which Kankurou ignored to search out where his opponent had fled. A moment later, there was a flicker of motion over by the thin tree stand followed by an explosion. Grimacing, Kankurou readied himself to move, already considering giving up. Getting blown up by some tree-hugging jack-ass right before the start of a full scale invasion didn't seem like a good idea. Eyeing the mild damage to Karasu and noting that the asshole Uchiha was closing in, Kankurou made a tactical decision.

"I give up."

Sasuke paused in surprise, the last Exploding Tag he'd snagged from Naruto wrapped around a kunai and primed to go. '_What?_'

"Victor by surrender, Sasuke Uchiha." Blocking out the sound of the cheering crowd, Kankurou headed for the stairs leading off the arena floor. It wasn't like they'd be cheering after today.

* * *

"That's rather surprising. Suna puppeteers tend to be…trickier then that." Sarutobi looked sideways at his Wind-country contemporary.

"Kankurou is young yet. He hasn't learned all the tricks an experienced ninja needs to operated with such little cover." The 'Kazekage' punctuated the comment with an airy gesture, dismissing the older shinobi's concern. It was not a gesture the Kazekage had used in the years Sarutobi had known the Wind Shadow. Too disciplined to sigh out loud, Sarutobi indulged himself mentally as he slide his hand off the armrest of his chair to where only his bodyguards could see it before giving a few brief signs.

'_Your brilliance always did outstrip your patience and self-discipline, Orochimaru. It's the very same reason I made Minato the Fourth, not you._'

* * *

Customary slight scowl in place, Sasuke walked up the stairs leading up to the participant box, hands in pockets. Though mildly annoyed with winning by surrender, the Uchiha heir wasn't going to complain much about it. A win was a win, no matter the method. Up ahead, Naruto and Kiba approached, heading down the stairs to the Arena. As the next two fighters passed him, Sasuke was…irked, by their 'friendly' greetings.

"Hey Jackass." Kiba grunted, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nice match jerk-wad!" Naruto exclaimed in a much friendly tone, completely failing to match his actual comment. Sasuke's cheek twitched as he continued to walk up the stairs. These idiots were so much harder to stand when Iruka wasn't riding herd on them. Behind him, Naruto and Kiba fell silent, tension rising between them. Riding on Kiba's head, Akamaru let out a soft yip to soothe Kiba. This was a rematch between to the two boys, and in a public venue no less. Naruto, as it turned out, had put some thought into his and Kiba's upcoming match. Just before they walked out onto the Arena floor, Naruto stopped and turned towards Kiba. When Kiba cocked his eyebrow questioningly, Naruto stuck out his hand. Kiba's lips twitched a moment before the taller boy stuck out his own hand and gave Naruto's one solid shake.

"No cheap tricks?"

Naruto looked his fellow Leaf shinobi in the eyes. Naruto wanted to win this, wanted respect and recognition but at the cost of humiliating someone from his village…? '_Well, someone who isn't a complete jerk anyways._'

"No cheap tricks." Naruto agreed letting go of Kiba's hand and ignoring the disapproving rumble from Black Mirage. Nodding, both boys headed out on to the Arena floor. Genma, who'd had a clear view of the exchange watched curiously as the two genin moved into the starting positions, but said nothing. There didn't seem to be any problem, so it wasn't his business.

"Are you both ready to begin?" Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru all nodded, tensing their muscles. Giving a nod of his own, Genma raised his hand and then dropped it, shouting 'Begin!' Instantly, Kiba and Akamaru leapt back, Kiba twitching to drop the pill hidden up his sleeve before the start of the fight into his hand. With a practiced flick, Kiba sent the burgundy pill flying to Akamaru who snapped it out of the air. Squatting and bending, Kiba's back served as a perfect landing pad for Akamaru who was bulging with muscles and turning a deep red as he leapt up and started his half of their first technique of the match. Naruto hung back, molding up chakra, wondering what they were doing.

"Juujin Bunshin(Beast-man Clone)."

"_Here we go wielder. Are you ready for this?_" Black Mirage murmured excitedly as the chakra smoke produced by the technique cleared revealing that Kiba and Akamaru had turned into feral looking twins.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu(Four-legged technique)." Naruto's brain decided now was a good time to speak up.

2(Kiba) x Power-up technique = move you stupid idiot!

"Shit." Naruto exerted a bit of chakra as Kiba and Akamaru launched themselves in opposing directions, splitting his focus as they closed in. There was a sharp crack as the Inuzuka pair landed punches at the same moment, demolishing the wooden shrapnel left over from the first fight that Naruto had Body Switched with.

"Lets rock!" Naruto bellowed, drawing his opponent's attention. The crowd stirred as the Black Mirage Blade appeared in the blonde's hands "Raaahhh!" Pumping up the chakra flowing through his body, Naruto charged. Simultaneously, Kiba and Akamaru let out challenging snarls and lunged. The crowd cheered gleefully as the three fighters danced around each other, blood already beginning to flow. The Inu ninjas were faster then Naruto and fighting two-on-one was giving them a nasty advantage. Naruto, on the other hand, had reach and strength on Kiba thanks to a month of training with a heavy blade. A blade sharp enough that even glancing blows left nasty gashes. After several minutes of trading cuts, the fighters sprung apart.

"Damn!" Naruto panted lightly, shaking his head. "You guys read each others minds or something?" Kiba chuckled, flexing his blood-splattered hands while Akamaru whined and worked to lick at the cut spanning the length of his left forearm.

"Just practice Naruto. Just like you've obviously been practicing with that fancy sword of yours." The crowd hushed, eager to hear the banter between the so-far evenly matched ninja.

* * *

"Not bad." A Chuunin sitting a few rows from Tenten commented to the man next to him, a fellow Chuunin. "Wonder where blondie learned kenjutsu? I know they don't teach sword use at the Academy and Hatake isn't exactly known for his use of long blades." Nearby, Sakura sent the weapon Mistress a look as Ino chattered away next to her about how surprisingly badass 'those two idiots' looked. Smiling, Tenten silently cheered on her student.

* * *

"_I thought the point of this exam was to show off?_"

"_Shut up! I said no cheap tricks, so I'm not going to use any._" Black Mirage grunted in annoyance as Kiba and Akamaru started moving.

'_We can't keep beating on each other. Even if I managed to win, I'd be too messed up to last in my next match. Gonna have to use my best technique now instead of saving the surprise._' "Lets go Akamaru." Kiba whispered, leading the charge. Naruto looked surprised when his opponents leapt in the air, until they started to spin.

"Gatsuuga(Double Piercing Fang)!"

"…craaaap!"

Naruto tried dodging the whirling attack but it turned out that Kiba and Akamaru could change directions mid-air. Hissing in pain from the new damage, Naruto braced himself as they came around again. A swing of Black Mirage kept Kiba from hitting him, but Akamaru managed to clip him from the other side. "Ok." Naruto exclaimed. "Time to get serious. Foxfire Ignition!" Black Mirage hummed as Naruto channeled chakra and pale blue flames shrouded the sentient weapon. The crowd seemed to like this, if the ensuing noise was any indication. There were some jeers in there, what with him daring to utter the word 'Fox' in Konoha but screw them. Naruto lashed out as Kiba and Akamaru launched into another Gatsuuga and the audience's view of the actual clash between them was obscured by the dancing flames of Naruto's weapon and the Inu-ninjas spinning attack. Behind their blonde opponent, Kiba and Akamaru skidded to a halt revealing large singed areas on their clothes. Deciding enough was enough, Kiba drew smoke bombs and threw them at Naruto's feet.

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Howling, the two flew into the smoke and started shredding Naruto in earnest. Bellowing in pain, Naruto forgot his training with Tenten and just started flailing wildly, unable to see his attackers through the smoke. "We've got him on the ropes Akamaru! Let's finish this!" With an affirmative bark, Akamaru peeled off from their tag-team, hit-and-run tactics at the same time as Kiba. Gaining a bit of distance, dog and boy ramped their rotation to maximum and charged in.

"_INCOMING!_" Black Mirage bellowed, intentionally startling his wielder into one of his more…fiery reactions. The entire(civilian) audience flinched away from the resulting explosion. The ninja waited patiently for the afterimage to fade revealing a slightly dazed looking Naruto standing in the epicenter of the Foxfire blast. Kiba and a de-transformed Akamaru lay at the edge of the scorched portion of the Arena, groaning and barely conscious. The spin of their technique had prevented some of the damage, but it was obvious that they were in no condition to continue. After eyeing the Inuzuka boy and his partner for signs of a recovery, Genma raised his hand.

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki."

The audience roared in approval of the bloody, fiery match.

* * *

Haku shook her head as the audience cheered, catching the attention of the Konoha genin who had failed out of the Exam. "What's wrong Haku?" Ino asked, leaning in curiously.

"Naruto-kun's victory was…clumsy. I don't know why he didn't use his other abilities that'd he told me about." Ino snorted.

"He's gotten stronger, but Naruto is _far_ from brilliant." Turning to Sakura to reminisce over some of Naruto's more foolish moments while waiting for the next match, Ino failed to take notice of the two sets of eyes boring into her back.

Higher up the stadium stands, Sarutobi almost twitched when the 'Kazekage' hmm'ed in interest. "Hokage-san, that fire…is it a part of the Uzumaki bloodline I've heard of from my shinobi?"

"Oh no." Sarutobi said, managing to sound casually dismissive. "Nothing like that. The Uzumaki clansmen are merely known for their resilience. The blue fire is something Naruto developed with practice." '_And a tailed demon's advice. Orochimaru…first Sasuke, and now Naruto. You are showing far too much interest in the children of my village. It is a good thing that you and I will be finishing our unresolved business with each other today._'

In the Arena, an expressionless Gaara and a very nervous Choji took the field.

* * *

Choji did his best to hold still as he stood across from his unsettling opponent. Other then the utterly one-sided match in the Preliminaries, the Akimichi knew next to nothing of Gaara's abilities…though he'd heard many, many rumors. Only a month of training and a solemn promise of a trip to the all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ in town kept the heavy-boned boy from quitting. Looking away from Gaara, Choji watched the proctor raise his hand.

'_I can do this! No I can't! I've got to try, for the BBQ! Hmm, all I can eat…_'

"Begin!"

"BARBEQUE!" Choji roared as a battle-cry, startling most of audience and making Asuma groan and bury his face into his hands at his student's antics. Even Gaara blinked, his sand remaining still for a few moments as the Suna Jinchuuriki attempted to puzzle out why anyone would scream 'Barbeque!' when facing him. Choji used that time wisely, hands forming long-practiced seals. "Baika No Jutsu(Multi-size technique)!" Quickly withdrawing his limbs into safety, Choji began to rotate, chakra burning to speed him up. "Nikudan Sensha(Meat Tank)!" With a whirling grinding sound, Choji shot forward, bearing down on Gaara. The Suna ninja didn't move, merely watched as the heavy-set ninja slammed off his automatic defense.

"Useless." Gaara rasped, watching the Akimichi continue to bounce off of his sand shield. Putting some distance between them, Choji began spinning in place. Soundlessly, Gaara raised his hand and reached out towards his opponent, commanding the sand to attack. Right before the chakra-controlled material reached him, Choji released his grip on the ground and took off like a cannonball running over the attack without trouble. Chanting a wordless battle-cry, Choji barreled down on Gaara. 25 feet short of the redhead, Choji's form made some sort of odd skip and flew into the air. Gaara's eyes widened ever-so-slightly as the enormous ball of ninja came hurtling down.

_SPLAT_-**CRUNCH!**

Winces abounded as Choji flattened his target, creating a fair-sized crater in the process. Rolling off his victim, Choji released his technique, looking wildly relieved at his apparent victory. That relief died a swift death though when he heard the slithering rustle of sand moving against itself. Yelping in fright, Choji attempted to run, but was quickly caught. Rising in the air in the sand's grip, the Konoha genin was afforded a clear view of the crater and Gaara's 'corpse', which was dissolving into sand. A distance away, Gaara snarled silently, furious that this weakling had forced him to Kawarimi with a Suna Bunshin(Sand clone). "Sabaku Kyuu(Desert Coffin)". Expression turning manical, the redhead began closing his open and outstretched hand.

"I give up!" Choji blurted, thrashing in panic.

"Sabaku Sou-(Desert Fune-)."

"Stop." Genma commanded, appearing next to Gaara. "Your opponent has surrendered, this match is over." Gaara didn't respond immediately, obviously considering finishing the technique. "Release him or face punishment." Stalling a moment longer, Gaara finally let go.

'_Soon mother…soon you will have blood…_'

Staring after the mumbling Suna-nin, Genma helped Choji to his feet from where Gaara had dropped him. '_He's going to be a pain to deal with, very shortly._'

"Neji and Hinata Hyuuga, please present yourself for the next match."

* * *

In the competitors box, Neji calmly began making his way to the Arena floor. Not a bit of his burgeoning bloodlust showed. Still, Hinata felt her nervousness spike. The Hyuuga princess knew that her older cousin despised her, loathed her with a rarely expressed but truly venomous passion. Eyes dropping to the ground, Hinata slowly followed her cousin down the stairs, pausing to glance at Naruto. The mild-mannered heiress flinched upon realizing that her blonde crush wasn't paying attention to her at all. She knew that she wasn't the kind of young woman who caught or held a great deal of focus but Hinata would have thought that he'd at least look at her when she was about to fight.

'_Naruto-kun…I wish you would look at me._'

* * *

'_This is going to be a short fight._' Genma thought to himself grimly. He didn't know much about the situation between Neji and Hinata, but the senbon-chewing man was more then a skilled enough ninja to see Neji was a tightly wound bundle of aggression and Hinata was…well, she wasn't doing great. "Are you both ready to begin?"

"Yes." Neji responded immediately, fingertips twitching.

"Y-Yes." Hinata stuttered, flushing, and looking away.

Raising his hand, Genma readied himself to drag Neji off Hinata. "Begin." As the proctor backed away, both Hyuuga activated their bloodline. The cousins charged at one another, chakra flaring from the clashing Juuken strikes. The civilian portion of the crowd cheered heartily, enjoying the 'fierce' fight. The watching ninja on the other hand stayed quiet. All the ninja, down to the genin and a few particularly experienced or well-trained civilians, knew that Hinata had no chance of victory. She was completely outclassed; Neji had her beat in speed, skill, tactics, and ferocity. All this fight was seeing how long Hinata could manage to hang on against her far more talented cousin. The point was driven home to even the civilian portion of the audience when Neji launched a particularly brutal flurry of blows that left Hinata reeling back helplessly. In the sudden silence of the crowd, the outmatched kunoichi's gasping and panting was utterly audible.

Neji watched with merciless eyes as his younger cousin struggled to stand upright. The Branch Family member didn't feel an ounce of compassion while Hinata retook a shaky Juuken stance, tremors of weakness and fear coursing through her limbs. In truth, the sight only further incited his rage, driving the Hyuuga prodigy speak though he knew it was not in his best interest. "Why…why would Fate let a useless weakling like you be free when a genius like me is leashed like a beast?"

* * *

Naruto listened along with the crowd as Neji let out a lifetime of frustration focused by a month of anticipation. The Byakugan-wielding young shinobi didn't hold back at all, avoiding a full-out rant solely by the grace of a naturally withdrawn personality. Naruto was…disturbed by what he heard.

'_Who does that kind of thing?_'

'_I've heard of it._' Mirage responded. '_Though never on this kind of scale. An entire clan enslaved to the will of a single line among them…it's a bold move. If they ever get a chance to rebel, they will, and bloodily._'

'_Yeah, probably._' Naruto agreed, knowing full well he wouldn't let anyone make a slave of HIM if he had anything to say about it. '_Still, beating on a relative like that…_' Black Mirage cursed as feelings of sympathy welled up in his wielder. The ancient weapon could allow a certain amount of empathy, it could be worked around. But being a bleeding heart didn't make someone a legendary fighter.

'_A relative that can apparently have him squirming on the ground in a moment if she thought about it._

Naruto blinked, thinking about it as Neji finally wound down from his diatribe. The blonde missed Neji's ending comments, but snapped to attention when the Juuken user charged once more, his posture radiating a sense of finality. Hinata made an attempt at dodging the attack, but was unable. The fight ended immediately after that, with Genma declaring Neji the winner and directing medics to retrieve the eldest heiress of the Hyuuga clan.

* * *

'_I knew my nephew had issues with the Main Branch, but this far more vitriol a hatred then I could have expected. Perhaps I will have to give Neji his inheritance earlier then expected._'

Sighing, Hiashi touched the small scroll tucked into his robe. Delivering it would have to wait. Neji still had battles today.

* * *

Sarutobi twitched, hearing the sea of murmurs from the visiting nobles after Neji's little speech. Orochimaru's amused chuckles were ignored as the aged Hokage tried to figure out what the **HELL** the boy had been thinking to air his clan's dirty laundry - and in such a public forum! Konoha's reputation- and thus lively-hood - depended on these exams.

'_Damn the Caged Bird Seal, and damn the Hyuuga for using it!_'

* * *

"Yosh! Let us explode with the Flames of Youth, Shikamaru-san!" Flashing a bright smile and a thumbs up, Lee leapt over the railing and landed easily before trotting up to the proctor. Shikamaru sighed at the sight. He wasn't looking forward to this fight, or any fight really.

"So troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, reluctantly making his way into the arena. Passing a thoughtful looking Naruto Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto had been making a great many changes since graduation, at a rate that suggested that someone was forcing/guiding it to some end. Still, as long as none of the Jounin commented on it, Shikamaru would hold his tongue. Volunteering information without some sort of prompt usually ended with him receiving some task or chore. Stepping on the arena floor, Shikamaru grimaced. His spandex-clad opponent was already in his starting position, bouncing in excitement. '_How can anyone be so energetic? He is even worse then Naruto. And a better Taijutsu-user._' Shikamaru's hands folded into his habitual thinking pose as he hoped for a last minute inspiration. Genma, meanwhile, went through the opening for the match.

'_A plan. Something to let me stand against a physically superior opponent in an open area._'

"Begin!"

"Yosh! Dynamic Entry!" Lee shouted cheerfully as he whipped a kunai at Shikamaru and rushed the other boy. Going limp, Shikamaru dropped under the opening kick and rolled a short distance away. Only rising to a knee, the shadow-user's hands formed a practiced seal.

"Kage Mane no jutsu(Shadow Imitation technique)."

Hearing the technique called out, Lee quickly flipped away, continuing to do so until the shadow stopped, then retreated. Cursing, Shikamaru threw his arms up in crossing-block immediately, just in time to stop a kick from Lee landing on his sternum. Tumbling away, Shikamaru managed to throw a few shuriken at Lee, hoping to stall the other boy, but the genius of hard work merely swatted them out of his way. As Lee closed in, Shikamaru rolled over one more time and flipped a flash bang into the air. The young Taijutsu fanatic's already large eyes widened as the bang went off.

The crowd murmured quietly as the light faded away, leaving a blinking and slightly teary-eyed Lee as the only visible person on the field. From the top of the wall he had jumped onto when the flash bang went off, Genma surveyed the field. '_There he is._' Eyeing the Nara boy hiding at the base of one of the trees in the arena, the proctor idly speculated about the shadow-user's chances. The Nara tended to be brilliant little bastards but given what Genma knew of Guy, and how closely Lee seemed to take after him…

"Konoha Senpuu(Hidden Leaf Kick)!" Lee shouted suddenly, launching himself across the arena floor. Scrambling madly, Shikamaru barely avoided the spinning kick, as well as the flurry of kicks and punches that followed thanks to the thin foliage. Carefully eyeing the terrain, Shikamaru waited for just the right moment, even though he was sweating buckets trying to stay away of his green-clad opponent. Then the moment came.

"Kage Mane no jutsu(Shadow Imitation technique)."

Springing to life, the Nara boy's shadow shot across the short distance between the two fighters and snagged Lee, freezing the older boy in place. A vigorous cheer went up from crowd at the scene below. Shikamaru was crouched next to a tree, his hands in the rat seal. Lee was directly in front of him, clenched fist 2 inches from the other boy's face. Breathing a sigh of relief, Shikamaru watched as a puzzled Lee slowly moved into a very close mimicry of Shikamaru's stance. "Kage Mane…success. That was too close. Another half-second and you would have had me."

"What technique is this?" Lee inquired with an honest curiosity.

"Kage Mane forces the target to copy whatever I do…like this." Standing up, Shikamaru turned and started walking towards the arena wall. Lee jerkily copied the movements, and began moving towards the wall. Shikamaru's strategic skill showed itself, as a few steps later left Lee next to the wall…and Shikamaru wasn't.

"Uhhh…" Snapping his body forward, Shikamaru appeared to bow deeply to the crowd. Ahead and to the left, Lee copied the gesture and slammed headfirst into the stone wall enclosing the arena. "Ow. What an interesting technique." Shikamaru frowned.

_Bang!_

"Ow! That stings." Shikamaru's frown deepened. He was beginning to suspect this was going to be even harder then he originally thought.

_Bang!_

"This is beginning to feel most Un-Youthful." Lee muttered, straining to free himself from the binding technique.

"Damn it. How are still conscious?" The first half grumbled, the latter spoken much louder.

"Practice!" Lee chimed happily, teeth gleaming though he could not manage a thumbs-up at the moment. Shikamaru stared dumbly for a long moment, wondering how the HELL someone 'practiced' something like that.

"Lee!" Guy's voice called out from the crowd, his powerful voice easily overcoming the other people speaking to one another. "In honor of these Exams, you may stoke your Flames of Youth into a bonfire!" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in thought, considering possible hidden messages in that phrase. He got a rather ominous answer moments later when Lee called back a loud 'Yosh!' followed by a phrase that sent chills down Shikamaru's spine.

"Gate of Opening: Open!"

'_Oh…no…_' Shikamaru thought despairingly as chakra seemed to pour off of Lee, already pushing Shikamaru's control over the other boy's movements to their limits. '_I'm losing my grip on him. What do I do…FUCK!_'

"Gate of Healing: Open!"

The outpouring of chakra coming off of Lee swelled as his body began showing signs of strain. With the veins beginning to bulge dangerously and the deepening red tint to his skin, Lee was taking on a truly fearsome appearance, especially the changes happening to his eyes.

"HHHuuuuRRRAAAHHHH!" Lee roared, venting some of the adrenalin-spawned emotion coursing through him. A moment later, the young Taijutsu expert vanished from sight, easily ripping away from Shikamaru's technique with his boosted power.

"Troub…"

_POW!_

Shikamaru flew into the air from a Celestial Gate powered uppercut, dazed. The Nara heir had no time to recover from the strike as Lee leapt up beside him and unleashed a punishing series of blows, hammering the younger boy mercilessly before sending him crashing down to the ground with an axe kick.

"Give!" Shikamaru gasped as loudly as he could after taking that last hit. Lee appeared in a blur of speed at the edge of the small crater created by Shikamaru's impact.

"What was that Nara-san?"

Shikamaru sucked in a breath, wincing as intense pain flared along his ribs. "I give up." Wheezing with the effort and the pain, he repeated himself louder. "I give up!" Lee nodded in acknowledgement, ceasing the flow of chakra from the Celestial Gates.

"Winner! Rock Lee!"

The crowd roared and cheered as medics marched out on the Arena floor. Smiling brightly, Lee waved off medical attention not wanting to risk being disqualified from the next round. He had practiced enough with the Gates under Guy-sensei's watchful eye to know that he was still fighting fit, though even that short use of the Forbidden technique had placed great strain on his muscles. Shikamaru on the other hand was being carried away on a stretcher, a medic keeping pace beside him running a diagnostic jutsu.

"7 fractured ribs, cracked scapula, hair-line fracture on the sternum, multiple breaks in the left humerus and radius, innumerable bruises…" The medics litany faded away as the group disappeared down an access tunnel, largely ignored as people waited expectantly for the next match.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, I must say, I look forward to next match. Ku ku ku…Sasuke Uchiha versus my son. It should be quite interesting, don't you think?"

"Only if your son wins his next match Kazekage-san." The Kazekage's head snapped toward Sarutobi.

"What?" Sarutobi directed a slightly manic smile at his 'fellow Kage'.

"There is an uneven number of shinobi left after all. One will receive a buy into the next round." As he spoke, the legendary old ninja flashed hidden hand signals to his assistants. Sarutobi didn't know why Orochimaru wanted Sasuke and Gaara to fight, but he was not about to let his old student have his way…not till his subordinates found what Orochimaru had hidden up his sleeve. As clever as the serpents he summoned, Orochimaru always had some trick waiting to be played.

* * *

Genma listened carefully as an ANBU member conveyed the Hokage's wishes. The proctor had been about to announce the match between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara no Sabaku when a Rat-masked member of the elite troops Shunshin'd to his side and relayed the village leader's orders. '_Interesting…does this switch have anything to do with those rumors I've been hearing about? Guess we are all about to find out._' "Understood." Genma murmured to the ANBU, who departed in a swirl of leaves. Pitching his voice to carry, Genma spoke to the crowd. "By random selection of the advancing combatants, it has been decided that Gaara no Sabaku and Naruto Uzumaki will fight next. Would Gaara no Sabaku and Naruto Uzumaki make their way to the Arena floor." As Genma waited for the teens to arrive, the crowd broke into a mass of whispers.

* * *

"Please be safe Naruto-kun." Murmured three different girls as the two fighters took up their stances on the Arena floor. Further up the stands, Sarutobi winced, wondering if he'd made a grievous mistake.

* * *

Naruto flexed his fingers nervously, watching Gaara grimly. In the back of the blonde's mind, Black Mirage all but hummed in anticipation of the fight. While the ancient sword did not believe this fight would be quite on the grand scale it was used to, it was promising to be the most intense fight yet for this wielder.

Mirage looked forward to it.

Genma raised his hand, bringing silence to the crowd "Begin." He declared loudly, dropping his hand and promptly hauling ass out of the line of fire. There were a lot of mysterious rumors making rounds among the Jounin lounges about Naruto and Genma knew for sure that Gaara was a mobile desert disaster so there was no way in Hell the senbon-chewing Jounin was going to stick around while the two of them went at it. It quickly proved to be a good idea as the moment the match started Naruto thrust his hands out.

"Hotaru(Firefly)." At the word, sparks and spots of light in countless shades erupted from his palms and fingertips. Dancing wildly and spreading fast, the colored lights filled the Arena floor then began pulsating sharply through out the entire color spectrum. The crowd screamed as the visual display seemed to stab directly into their brains through the eyes. Even the shinobi hissed or flinched in pain. By the time people began recovering their sight, eyes streaming tears and heads pounding, Naruto was no longer visible. Dark-ringed eyes wet with pained tears, Gaara swept the area around him with a furious stare. With his un-ending insomnia, all those bright, flashing lights had _hurt_. A pain that Gaara meant to share, no matter the cost to the Kazekage's plan.

"Mother will FEAST upon your blood!" The Suna contingent winced, knowing that tone.

"And my sword, Black Mirage, will bathe in yours." A weird echoing laugh rang out. "Before we start though, I'd like to wish Zabuza Momochi well in his afterlife. He was a bastard, but he knew his stuff." There was a moment of uneasy silence as everyone processed _that_ statement before Naruto spoke again, his voice very different.

"_Eight lethal points…the larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart…how do _you _wish to die, Sabaku no Gaara._"

* * *

Up in the stands, Haku silently mouthed the words after Naruto, sparks of recognition dancing in her eyes.

* * *

Gaara tilted his head, wondering if this leaf genin was being serious. The redhead was hardly concerned by the threat. His father had arranged several attempts on his life in the previous years and this colorful shrimp was easily the least threatening assassin he'd encountered. "Worthless weakling, mother shall consume you." Out of the corner of his eyes, Gaara spotted some shimmering, teenager-sized spot moving across the Arena. Gesturing, Gaara sent his sand racing over to it. The shimmer danced away from the attack, trying to move in. Gaara directed the sand to follow, smashing and crushing the Arena terrain in an attempt to destroy the hidden blonde. However, the shimmer was faster then the sand and continued to dance away from it. Scowling, Gaara raised his other hand and began directing multiple groups of sand to begin working together box in the other ninja. Carefully, Gaara maneuvered the sand to prevent the hidden blonde's escape and closed in. The shimmer moved frantically, but could not escape Gaara's net as it pinned the shimmer against the wall and applied murderous pressure. The stone wall groaned under the sand before crumbling. "Enjoy his blood…mother."

"Kitsune-Bi!" Echoed Naruto's voice as blue fire rushed from the sad remains of the tree line and barreled straight at Gaara. The gourd on Gaara's back dissolved, revealing itself to be made from more sand which then leapt to the Suna Jinchuuriki's defense. To Naruto surprise the heavily chakra-imbued granules easily blocked the flames, smothering them quickly. Moving to avoid a retaliatory strike, Naruto launched more Foxfire at the sand-user in different shapes and at different angles in hopes of slipping past Gaara's defense. Mirage, meanwhile, dropped the Invisibility technique since his wielder's position was clear through the fires he was throwing. Instead, the sword focus on other, more important illusions.

"Die!" Gaara snarled, angry at the blonde's continued survival. Gathering a large amount of sand, the redhead reached out. Resembling a tidal wave, Gaara's attack crashed forward with such power it shook the seats of the Arena. Gaara started laugh in manic glee, only to stop when at the edge of the attack an illusion collapsed. Clipped by the tide of sand Naruto lost his concentration and the last surviving 'tree' in the Arena silently unraveled, revealing the blonde who was clutching his arm. "You…why won't you DIE!" Howling in his madness, Gaara gathered all his sand and commanded it to destroy his opponent.

Over the sound of the many tons of sand moving, the screams of the audience seated behind Naruto could only just be heard.

* * *

"_Not good! Move it wielder!_"

Arm numb from the graze, Naruto clumsily struggled to form hand-seals. "_That was way too close. How many more layers of genjutsu did we have ready?_"

"_That was the last, kindly MOVE YOUR ASS FOOL!_" Naruto's hand convulsed as the movement of his hand put pressure on the damage to his arm.

"Aaahhhhgaahh!" "_Damn that hurt! I-I can't form seals!_"

"_Incoming!_"

"_What am I supposed to do?_" Naruto shot back as the mass of sand closed the last of the distance.

"**Live, human…I will not die like this.**" Surprised to hear the Kyuubi's voice while he was still conscious, Naruto didn't manage to resist the surge of energy, of youki, that exploded forth from the seal.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

_Original Technique List:_

Hotaru(Firefly): The first original Genjutsu created by Naruto, it was developed from the Flare technique that Black Mirage taught to his wielder. Instead of creating a directed flash of light towards the opponent's eyes, Hotaru generates light pulses from many different angles and locations. The technique does not rely solely on volume and power of light however. After much questioning of Black Mirage, Hotaru was designed to generate light in colors and patterns that caused the greatest disorientation and discomfort. This technique is given a C rank instead of B because it cannot be targeted. Even allies suffer the effects of Hotaru, limiting its usefulness. Additionally, the technique requires a moment to take full effect and uses up a great deal more chakra then Flare.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Put. The torches. Down.

It's only a little cliff-hanger and I didn't mean to do it. But it was a really good place to stop and I'm already past 8.5k words. So, the Invasion of Konoha will be on the next chapter. I figure there will be questions, but I'll wait to answer them until their asked. I don't want to give the good stuff away accidentally.

By the way, happy Friday the 13th!

_5/15/2011_ - Fixed Rock Lee's name, was not aware it was already in the Western Format. Thank you Rock's Razor.


	11. Chapter 11

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"There isn't much I won't do for the right price, but I love war. The chaos, the killing…the loot!" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Gaara's eyes widened slightly at the sound of Naruto's bellow as his attack crashed into the blonde and the wall behind him. The other ninja's voice had changed somehow. Was it some kind of technique?

_**WHA-BLOFFF!**_

The sound of the massive impact of the sand mass against the stone wall was almost completely buried under the sound of air being displaced at high speed. Behind the impact site, the audience wailed and screamed as stone fragments and lances of funneled air ripped into the crowd, causing panic and injury. Swearing at the sight of blood spraying into the air, Genma leapt onto the Arena floor sucking in a breath to order Gaara to stand down. He was interrupted however by a rain of feathers falling from the sky. Eyes widening, Genma instinctively brought his hands up for a 'Kai'.

"Nehan Shouja no Jutsu(Temple of Nirvana technique)." The Jounin whispered, recognizing the technique, which was commonly used to peacefully prevent large crowds of civilians from witnessing some event. In this case… "It's begun."

* * *

In the Kage's box, everyone exploded into movement the moment the first feather's began falling. With blinding speed, Orochimaru seized his old teacher and beat feet to a large nearby rooftop. Behind them, the Hokage's two bodyguards attempted to take down the Sannin's. Despite superior shinobi skills though, they were both quickly taken down when extra limbs burst from hiding in the voluminous cloaks the Oto bodyguards wore. Not pausing to be sure of the Konoha ninja's deaths the Oto troops leapt to the roof after their leader, cloaks shredding as the 'two' guards revealed themselves to be 4. Separating to the corners of the roof quickly the four ninjas, Oto shinobi by their headbands, followed their leaders orders.

"Ninpou: Shishi Enjin(Ninja technique: Four Violet Flames Battle Formation)."

Moments later, a squad of 4 ANBU appeared on the roof, having sent the other ANBU squad to protect the unconscious civilians(read, feudal lords) and directed the Jounin in general to begin repelling the invaders. Seeing the purplish barrier, the ANBU stopped. Scowling behind his mask, the ANBU captain leading this squad hurled a kunai at the barrier, watching it burst in flame and start melting on contact.

"Ha!" Laughed one of the 4 Oto ninja, a rather freakish individual with an upper body facing forward and backwards and garishly painted facial features. "Why don't you give it a try yourselves."

"Shut up fuck-face!" Spat the sole kunoichi among the four Oto ninjas. "Before Orochimaru-sama shuts you up." Meanwhile, in the barrier, Orochimaru was forced to let go of his old teacher and leap away when the Hokage attempted to slam an elbow in the Snake Sannin's sternum.

"Ku ku ku, still quite feisty for an old man. A shame that your little assistants will be unable to join us." To the snake's surprise, Sarutobi smiled.

"I would not want them to. This is unfinished business between you and me Orochimaru." With that the Hokage ripped off his robes and hat to reveal his custom battle armor underneath. "Today sees the end of this, my former student." Orochimaru tensed. It seemed the old man was better prepared then expected.

'_It does not matter. The fool is too old and weak to defeat me._'

* * *

It was dark. It was quiet. The pressure and lack of air was stifling. Even worse, he could feel the sand shift and continue to try press in to the wall. But that was all secondary compared to other concerns.

"_What did you do?_"

"_**What was necessary human. I have filled you with as much power as your pathetic, underdeveloped body will handle at this time.**_"

"_Not bad. I've seen, felt, better but not bad wielder._"

"_**Human, why are you still laying there? Can you not hear the war going on out there?**_"

"_War?_" Grinning eagerly in it's cage, the Kyuubi focused chakra to it's host's ears, briefly lending the human a small fraction of it's own senses. Naruto was overwhelmed for the first few moments, having never heard this clearly in his life, even through the sand. After that though, Naruto began sorting out what he was hearing. The clash of weapons, the snarl of ninjutsu, the roar of explosions…the screams of men and women dying. Growling, Naruto gathered himself.

'**Kill human, kill them all!**'

'_Let the fun begin!_'

* * *

When no burst of fire or angry speech was hurled at him after several moments, Gaara turned from his last attack and eyed the fighting that was spreading from the Arena and intensifying as forces positioned outside Konoha began their own attack. Reaching into the sand with his control, Gaara prepared to lay waste to the area around him.

**THOOMPAH!**

Sand flew up and out as Naruto burst from it with an unholy howl, so loud and inhuman that even the most hardened shinobi paused for a moment to look. Naruto stood before the broken Arena wall, covered head to foot in a deep red chakra. The only exception for this was Black Mirage, which was coated in a pillar of bright blue chakra. Both red and blue chakra burned wildly, thrashing about for several long moments before calming and covering Naruto smoothly, like armor. Only then did Naruto open his eyes, showing the world that his crystal blue eyes were now slit like a cat's and his irises were swirling pits of prismatic color. This was not the sole change to the blonde's appearance. His thin whisker marks had darkened and thickened, becoming feral looking, a look furthered by the short thick claws on his fingers designed to grip and tear, and the sharpening and lengthening of his teeth. Gazing around him, Naruto tilted his head back.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage. Anyone who wants to make war on Konoha better be ready to go through me first!"

"Challenge accepted, Uzumaki!" Snarling, Gaara directed the sand scattered around Naruto to rise off the ground and form into spears. With a twitch, he sent them at Naruto. Baring his teeth, Naruto avoided the spears with youki boosted speed. Stopping behind Gaara, Naruto stabbed with Mirage. Immediately, the redhead's sand swarmed to defend him, a thick tendril of sand intercepting the sword. Or at least, it tried.

Black Mirage had been forged from the hardest of metals by exceptionally skilled smiths. It had been imbued in a manner designed to allow it to penetrate even the greatest of defenses. It couldn't effortlessly cut like the Kusanagi, but there was very little that Black Mirage could not hurt with a wielder strong enough. This quality was improved with the purified youki surrounding it. With a loud scraping sound, Mirage punched through the sand. However, sword was slowed by the material, saving Gaara's life as only a few inches of the sentient sword managed to injure the redhead. Blinking, Naruto pulled hard to free Mirage from Gaara's defenses, struggling to overcome the sand attempting to destroy the weapon that had injured its master.

"Blood…it's blood. My blood. It hurts. Mother, why am I hurt?" Naruto ignored the other boy's muttering as he dodging the sand angrily attacking him. With the Kyuubi's power coursing through him, it was much easier, though the material was quite determined.

"_Hit him with an illusion to distract the sand before I get squashed._"

"_Can't_." Black Mirage informed him, sounding strained. Naruto stumbled in surprise, nearly getting skewered for it.

"_WHAT?_"

"_Do you have any idea how corrosive and corruptive a demon's power is? I draw my power from my wielder, and that is currently you. And you are channeling the power of the most destructive demon I have ever seen. Of course there are…side effects. Power does not come without sacrifice, in this case, control for overwhelming power. I can manage small or basic illusions, but with this aura my greater abilities cannot be done. Still, I am far from defenseless. And apparently, neither is your opponent._"

"Suna no Mayu(Cocoon of Sand)!"

With a mad scream of pain and fear, Gaara called his sand to him and enclosed himself in a large orb made of the tightly packed material. "_Damn it. What am I supposed to do now?_"

"_**Find other victims. Your weak body cannot funnel my great power forever. Slaughter as many intruders as you can. Defend your territory human! Unless of course, you do not care that your little villagers are dying? I would not mind**_**.**"

Feeling an animalistic snarl rip its way out of his throat, Naruto sped off to get rid of as many invading shinobi as possible.

'_I'll be back for you Gaara…_'

* * *

As the mass sleeping genjutsu began taking hold, Sasuke and Neji both raised their hands for a Kai as Rock Lee's eyes began fluttering shut. With a dismissive look, Neji reached over and performed a Kai for his teammate while the Uchiha heir left the participant box, jumping over of the railing and into the main seating to attack nearby Oto and Suna forces. Shaking his head in derision of such foolishness, Neji waited for Lee to finish waking up.

"Yosh Neji! I feel most refreshed! Is it time for my next match?"

"No." Neji replied simply. "Konoha is under attack by Suna and Oto forces." Eyes widening, Lee took in the full-scale battle taking place.

"Most Un-Youthful! Quickly Neji, we must find Tenten and seek out Guy-sensei for instructions!" Neji nodded, finding the idea to be reasonable. Neji did raise an eyebrow when instead of immediately leaping off to find the rest of their team Lee reached down and lifted his legwarmers, revealing sizeable leg weights.

'_Ah yes, I had almost forgotten he wore those silly things. I wonder if there will be any real improvement once he -_' Despite his carefully cultivated control, Neji actually goggled at the results when Lee lifted the weights and threw them. One hit a Oto Jounin and spattered the man like an overripe melon, instantly killing him. The other missed a Suna ninja by inches and hit a stone wall, demolishing it almost completely. "What…how?"

"Yosh! I feel light as a feather!" With that, Lee vanished in a blur of speed.

Feeling stunned, Neji followed after his teammate who was already smashing his way through Suna and Oto forces.

* * *

"Kai." Murmured Haku along with Sakura and Tenten. Ino peered sleepily at her friends, falling victim to the genjutsu until Sakura reached out and broke it for her. Around them, most of the ninja were also releasing themselves from the technique as the civilians finished slumping into unconsciousness. "What is going on?"

"Konoha is under attack." Sakura said grimly. "We need to find our instructors quickly, and receive our orders. Everyone move out!" As the genin started forming up, Sakura turned to Haku. "Can you hide Haku? I know you decided against joining Konoha as a shinobi." Haku nodded.

"Hai. I will be fine." With that, Haku vanished in a swirl of mist. Seeing it, Sakura paled.

"Oh no."

"Let's go Forehead, before someone spots us." Still pale, and now shaking, Sakura stumbled after the other Konoha genins, mind turning over what she had just seen.

* * *

"Retsudo Tenshou(Revolving Split Earth Palm)!"

"Katon: Kasai Sanshuhouuo(Fire Release: Fire Salamander)."

"Seiteki Shokku(Static Shock)."

Naruto snarled as several Suna and Oto shinobi joined together to attack him. With a roar and an expenditure of the youki enveloping him, Naruto crushed the stone attempting to trap and crush him. At the same time, the demonic energy swatted countless kunai and shuriken out the air, even the electrically charged ones concealed among the others. The fiery salamander construct the blonde simply ignored, having no fear of fire so long as the Kyuubi's chakra cloaked him.

"DIE!" Naruto bellowed, the foreign chakra flowing through him increasing his bloodlust and lowering inhibitions. With a swing of Black Mirage, Naruto hurled sheets of Foxfire at his attackers, sending the invading ninja reeling and screaming. Distracted by the 8 men wailing their death cries, the Konoha Jinchuuriki failed to note the Jounin forming hand seals on the roof behind him.

"Fuuton: Furyuu no jutsu(Wind Release: Wind Dragon Projectile)!"

Hearing the shout, Naruto turned in time to get shot by a sphere of compressed wind the size of his head and thrown into a nearby store. Shrieking a battle cry, the translucent blue wind dragon summoned by a Jounin of Suna charged in after it's prey. As it approached the building Naruto had crashed into there came a yell from inside.

"Kitsune-bi!"

A stream of Naruto's now signature blue flames erupted from the store and hit the wind dragon, consuming it in a rush and following it's trail blindly to the Suna Jounin who spat a curse and Kawarimi'ed away in time to avoid the flames. No fool, the Suna Jounin drew his nodachi and coated it with wind chakra, fully expecting his younger opponent to come after him. The man, however, was not expecting the massive hand made from boiling red chakra to burst through the roof he stood upon and bury itself in his guts. Choking in shock, the Jounin could only watch as the hand withdrew, taking his intestines with it in a shower of blood. On another roof the dying Jounin's squad of Chuunin subordinates fled as fast as their legs would take them.

"Damn it, damn it, Kami damn it to the swamps of Yomi!" One Chuunin yelled, glancing frightfully over his shoulders at the Konoha Jinchuuriki who had shaken the offal from his hands and was looking for the next to die on his sword. "No one told us Konoha had their own demon! Where's Gaara? That murderous little freak should be the one to -"

_Sch - Glurch!_

Yasahiro and Riku watched in horror as their third teammate Goro was swiftly reduced to a red paste by the very child whose name he had been cursing just a moment before.

"G-Gaara-san…" Riku stuttered in fear, falling silent as Gaara's gaze turned to him, only one eye still its regular dull teal. The other was as black as a shark's, separated into 4 sections by an eerie gold iris.

"Where…where is he? Where is Uzumaki?" Both men flinched at the boy's hoarse scream, their nerves stretched to the absolute limit by the fact that Gaara's infamous sand was forming over the boy's body in a monstrous shape. While both had been lucky enough to never see it before, they knew without doubt that Gaara was about form Shukaku's shell and go on an uncontrolled rampage.

"He's right over there Gaara-san." Yasahiro said quickly, unnecessarily pointing out the blonde whose fiery attacks were announcing his position to the world. Still, Gaara followed the man's hand, blinking slowly as the chaotic energies clawing their way through his body made it hard to think.

"Yesss…" Gaara hissed venomously before leaping towards his desired opponent. Trading glances, Yasahiro and Riku continued fleeing, not stopping until they were well outside Konoha's walls.

* * *

Sharingan blazing, a madcap grin on his face, Sasuke kept fighting, kept killing, feeling himself grow stronger with every jutsu copied and every enemy who fell before him. The boy didn't care that he would not have done nearly so well had he not fallen in the wake of Guy and Kakashi who were carving a bloody swath through the inferior Oto ninja and outnumbered Suna ninja. Burying a kunai in the spine of an Oto shinobi that had been all but wrecked by one of Guy's powerful strikes, Sasuke allowed himself a moment to survey the Arena. While the invading forces had been outnumbered by Konoha forces at first, they had rallied behind a large number of reinforcements; a fair number of which seemed shaken by something.

"YOSH!"

Having heard the call several times from Guy during the fight, Sasuke almost ignored it. At least until a broken Suna Chuunin went flying past. Eyes widening, Sasuke turned. Like a green tornado Rock Lee was tearing his way through enemy shinobi on his way to his beloved sensei. In his wake, Neji followed with an air of forced calm, delivering finishing strikes to broken ninja and taking care of any shinobi bold or clever enough to attempt a strike at Lee from behind. Sasuke felt anger and envy bubble up from within as the two older boys soon met up with the trio, cutting a brutal path through enemy forces.

"LEE-KUN!" Guy bellowed in a warm greeting. "I see you have removed your weights without my permission!"

"Yes Guy-sensei!" Lee replied, standing at attention. Neji meanwhile composed himself and waited for further instructions. "I am sorry Guy-sensei, but I felt that I had to in order to protect Konoha!" Sniffling in pride, Guy swept his protégé up in a manly embrace, crashing waves and a glorious sunset forming behind them, no matter the angle one viewed it at.

"Nonsense Lee-kun! You have done exactly as you should have. Such wisdom you show in the heady Springtime of your Youth!" Kakashi coughed softly, garnering his peer's attention as Sasuke's left cheek began twitching uncontrollably.

"Maybe this could wait Guy? We are in a battle here."

"Of course!" Guy agreed. "Let us -!"

"Guy-sensei." Neji interrupted. "Were you aware that Hokage-sama is trapped in some sort of barrier?" The Jounin both tensed, having been unaware of this fact.

"Neji." Kakashi said quietly. "Where?"

Nodding, Neji jumped away, leading the others to the barrier he'd noticed.

"Kakashi-sensei! KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

* * *

"Give it up Forehead." Ino grumbled, looking at the other rookie Leaf genin that were with them. There weren't any injuries that she could see, which was no surprise given that they'd been largely ignored. The invading ninja had way bigger problems then a small group of genin if all the screams outside the Arena were anything to go by. Ino shivered as one scream ended wetly before a movement out of the corner of her eye caught Ino's attention. Following it, the Yamanaka heiress watched a pair of terrified Suna ninja flee as if the Kyuubi no Kitsune were right behind them. As they left her sight a detail of her current environment was finally noticed. "Um, Forehead, wasn't that redhead boy in a big sand ball?"

"Yeah." Sakura responded vaguely "Why?"

"Because it's gone." The others joined her in looking.

"Well that's not good." Tenten commented, breaking off her stare to watch for attackers.

"DIE UZUMAKI!"

"Naruto!" The group shouted, taking off in the direction of the inhuman scream.

* * *

Plunging Black Mirage down to finish off a weakly squirming Oto ninja, Naruto looked around him, puzzled by the lack of enemies.

"_Where'd they all go?_"

"_Running for their lives probably. You've actually managed to be quite frightening. Good work so far._"

The Kyuubi snorted, having a much higher opinion of frightening.

Naruto ignored the legendary beast's distain, staring at his left hand. Both his hands were beginning to ache, deep inside. "_You said that you gave me all that I could handle. How long do you think I can keep going?_" The Kyuubi chuckled darkly.

"_**How strong is your will human? How strong is your flesh? This is what will determine how long you can call on my strength. Nothing else**_**.**"

"_I'm doing what I can, but my influence is mental, spiritual. This…cloak of chakra is eating at you physically wielder. The side-effects you are suffering from will only increase, and exponentially._" Naruto wasn't entirely positive, but he was pretty sure that 'exponentially' was bad in this situation.

"_Better get back to Gaara quick then, try to get through that shell_."

"DIE UZUMAKI!"

Naruto looked up in time to get smashed by an over-sized arm made of sand covered in jagged purple markings. Sky, buildings, fires, fighting shinobi, and blurred other things all flashed across Naruto's sight as he flew entire blocks from the force of the hit. Finally though, a building's foundation stopped him by the simple virtue of being sturdily built. Pissed off, Naruto fought his way free of the collapsing building and charged down the street at a cackling Gaara, whose monstrous sand shell was growing by the second, fed by the abundance of stone to break down in the village.

"Suck this Sand Sorcerer!" Griping Black Mirage in both hands, Naruto brought the flaming weapon down on Gaara who blocked with his sand-clad right arm. Foxfire flared as Mirage started burning its way through the sand, converting sand to poor glass and then shattering it with its heavy blade. But Gaara only grinned, drooling in bloodlust.

"Suna Shuriken."

From the material on Gaara's right arm, the right half of his face. shoulder blades, and chest, small discs of rotating sand were fired at triple digit speeds. At that range, there was no dodging and even through the Kyuubi Cloak, Naruto could feel the punishing impact. Wheezing as the breath was driven from him, Naruto staggered back. Howling, Gaara thrust his left arm at his opponent and a second monstrous arm formed, extending the redhead's reach and smashing Naruto once again.

"Ha ha ha! Bleed and die Uzumaki! Feed mother your sweet blood!" As Gaara laughed, more and more sand formed around his body, forming the head and the rest of the chest for Shukaku's shell.

"BURN, bastard!" From underneath Gaara's left fist blue light swelled before exploding in a frenzy of Foxfire that coated nearly everything in 30 feet. Screaming as his legs burned, Gaara retreated, allowing Naruto to stand. Sucking in a deep breath, Naruto vomited more flames on his opponent, covering him head to toe. "Take that!" Naruto fought down satisfaction as Gaara screamed and thrashed. He didn't want to take pleasure in something like this. He didn't want to be that kind of person, no matter the encouragement Kyuubi and occasionally Black Mirage offered.

"MOTHER!" Finally, the pain had become too much. Youki began pouring off Gaara in vast amounts. All stone, concrete, cement, and assorted silicon items anywhere near the sand-user spontaneously converted to useable material for him, allowing the Ichibi Jinchuuriki to form a full-sized copy of Shukaku. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

"_Oh…shit._"

"_Impressive size. You don't see too many beings on that kind of scale_."

"_**He is the smallest and weakest of us. I wish to remind him of his place**_**.**"

"_No way!_" Naruto shout back. "_How am I supposed to do that? He's fucking huge!_"

On the sand body's forehead, the top half of Gaara appeared. Smirking, the Jinchuuriki raised his hands. "Tanukineiri no Jutsu(Feigning Sleep technique)…" With that, Gaara's body went limp and the sand shell paused for a moment before jumping to life.

"**YAHOO! I'm finally out, and there are so many things to kill! Yeah hahahaha!**"

* * *

"Ibiki-san! There is a massive summon coming in from the South-west!"

"I can see that." The much-scarred man replied dryly as a gigantic three-headed snake smashed though Konoha's defensive wall. Briefly watching the summoned beast rampaging through Konoha's residential district to determine its path, Ibiki turned to the nearby shinobi. "Its headed towards the center of Konoha. Set up a defensive line to intercept it. Make sure there is a capture specialist to hold down the beast for a bombardment!"

"No need!" Boomed a cheery male voice. "The Great Toad Sage Jiraiya-sama is here to show you little boys and pretty gals how it is done! Kuchiyose no Jutsu(Summoning Technique)!" In an enormous cloud of smoke an equally large green-grey and brown toad wearing twin sheathed blades appeared. Croaking threateningly, the toad drew his blades and advanced on the three-headed serpent. "Ha ha ha! Make me a wallet Gamaboshi!"

"Jiraiya-sama." Ibiki called out. "I was unaware that you were in the village." Popping up next to the head of T & I department, the Toad Sage shrugged.

"The old man asked me to keep a low profile. Didn't want to spook Orochimaru into hiding." The Toad-summoner's eyes went flat when he mentioned his former teammates name and Ibiki carefully did not pay attention to it.

"Will you be continuing to assist us in defending the breach once the summoned snake is dealt with?"

"Of course. I have little to do until that barrier comes down or…well, shit. That can't be good." Frowning, Ibiki turned to follow Jiraiya's gaze.

"Well, shit." Ibiki muttered, feeling that it really did fit the situation.

* * *

"Hokage-sama!"

The ANBU squad waiting for a chance to assist the Hokage turned their heads slightly at the shout. A moment later Guy Might, Kakashi Hatake, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Sasuke Uchiha leapt onto the roof. The distasteful looks several of the ANBU sent towards Sasuke were missed behind their masks as the leader spoke up. "Might-san, Hatake-san, what are you doing here? Were you not assigned to repel invaders?"

"The Arena is free of enemy shinobi. What is Hokage-sama's status?"

"He is struggling with Orochimaru. The battle has been fierce. We have been unable to find a way into the barrier. I do not suppose that you have an idea?"

"I have no idea ANBU-san. I know of no counter for this technique. Perhaps Fuuinjutsu?"

"I was not aware that ANBU were widely practiced in Fuuinjustu." Guy commented. The three genin shifted slightly, unable to contribute to the conversation.

"We aren't." The lead ANBU replied. "Kakashi-senpai is one of the few members who have studied the art."

"Well then-"

"**YAHOO! I'm finally out, and there are so many things to kill! Yeah hahahaha!**"

ANBU, Jounin, and Genin alike turned to watch a manifestation of Shukaku do an odd drunken dance as he celebrated his freedom/impeding slaughter. "We are doomed." Neji whispered, feeling terror at the sight of the Bijuu.

"Do not worry Neji-kun! The Will of Fire will not be extinguished! We, the ninja of Konoha shall defend our home to our very last. Stoke your Flames my Youthful students!"

"**SHUKAKU****!**"

"Look Guy-sensei! A veritable bonfire of Youthful Flames!"

* * *

"Tell me, oh 'Professor', how shall we fight?" Sarutobi ignored the barb, flashing through hand seals at a speed that even Orochimaru was forced to admit was impressive. '_Wait, that's…_'

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." With a soft pop and a puff of smoke, the Monkey King Enma appeared. Long white hair dragging over his tiger skin, ermine-trimmed tunic, Enma surveyed his surroundings.

"Where are we?" Spotting a leering Orochimaru, Enma's expression became like stone. "I see. What are we doing?"

"Finishing this." The Hokage replied grimly, looking his long-time summon/companion directly in the eyes. "Once and for all." Enma gave a small nod.

"Finally. Henge(Transformation)." In a moment, Enma changed into a diamond-hard staff, leaping into Hiruzen's hands.

"Ku ku ku, at least this will make it a little bit interesting." Crouching down and letting his arms drape back to cut down wind resistance, Orochimaru charged forward, rushing past the old Hokage and lashing out with a strike to shatter the other man's ribs and drive the fragments into his lungs. Setting his feet, Sarutobi deflected the strike with Enma's staff-form. As the younger man darted past, Sarutobi swung Enma down and back to ram the base into Orochimaru's spine. Rolling with the glancing blow, the Snake-summoner spun on the spot and attacked. Launching a flurry of finger strikes and punches, Orochimaru used his slick footwork and inhuman flexibility and reflexes to avoid Sarutobi's stabs and strikes. In return, the elder ninja employed 6 decades of bojutsu experience to deflect all of his student's attacks and launch his own.

'_This stalemate will not last long. I'm not as young as I once was_.' Noting an odd bulge in Orochimaru's throat, the Hokage prepared one of his oldest techniques.

"Let us cease this warm up Sarutobi-sensei." With that, Orochimaru opened his mouth and allowed his tongue, now in the form of a python, to shoot forth and bite down on the Hokage's throat, crushing it. "To fall to such a simple attack…old age is making you slow sensei." The Hokage gasped breathlessly for a few moments, allowing the Snake Sannin to feel smug before collapsing into a pile of mud. '_A seal-less replacement…as expected of sensei_.'

"Shuriken, Kage Bunshin(Shuriken, Shadow Replication)."

Whirling, Orochimaru flipped through a few quick seals.

"Boufuu Kyouzuu(Wind Surge)." Drawing in the air around him, Orochimaru vented it back out in a solid wall, knocking away the shuriken.

"I see you have continued to expand your repertoire student." Orochimaru's grin grew to inhuman width.

"Of course sensei. You remember my goal don't you?" The Hokage nodded.

"I remember all my students dreams and goals, no matter how sick or twisted they become." Orochimaru laughed, the pitch changing as it continued.

"If only you knew Sarutobi-sensei." Giving a distinctly feminine giggle, Orochimaru reached up and peeled away 'his' face. "What do you think, sensei?" Sarutobi froze in horror, an eye appearing on Enma's form to take in the situation. Orochimaru was no longer in his true body. Instead, the wily serpent had discovered a way to permanently steal another's form, as he had done with the unfamiliar woman in which he now resided.

"What have you done, Orochimaru?"

"I have become immortal." The Snake Sannin replied proudly. "I will never grow old, I will never die, and I will learn all there is to know in this world."

"You will die, monster!" Enma roared. "Sarutobi, there can be no hesitation in dealing with such a creature." Expression turning truly grim, the Hokage reached into a hidden pocket on his armor as Orochimaru restored his former appearance. Swiftly crunching down on the soldier pill he'd taken out, Sarutobi let go of Enma. Releasing his transformation, Enma stomped his feet into the tile roof. Snatching the fragments out of the air, Enma began hurling them at Orochimaru as Sarutobi formed seals. Dodging the deadly shards, the Snake Sannin attempted a technique of his own but the elder ninja finished first.

"Doton; Hasai Kabe(Earth Release; Crushing Walls)."

Orochimaru's eyes widened as the tiles converted to mud and rose up on either side of him before transforming into solid plates of stone. '_What?_' Concerned, the Snake Sannin rapidly performed his trump card technique as the walls extended shafts to one another and then contracted with blinding speed.

_THOOM!_

Sarutobi stared warily at the stone walls, which had somehow been stopped with enough room for Orochimaru to survive. As the stone dust cleared, he saw why…and snarled. In the short time the nuke-nin had before the completion of the technique, he had managed to summon a tan coffin with the Kanji for 'One' on it.

'_Curse you sensei! I only had time to summon one of them, and I cannot summon the rest until I have time to unbind them from each other._'

"How low have you fallen, to disturb the dead from their rest! How fitting that you summon snakes, for they are the only things to crawl along at your level!" Hissing angrily, Orochimaru pressed his stomach, expelling the Kusanagi out of his mouth and into the air. The walls created by Hasai Kabe crumbled from lack of sustaining chakra and allowed the lid to fall off the coffin. Sarutobi hesitated at the sight of the body in the coffin.

"Hashirama-sensei…"

"Sarutobi." The reanimated Shodai looked around, expression saddening. "Another war. Why is there never any peace." Hiruzen opened his mouth, feeling obligated to explain to his sensei the situation.

"Sarutobi!" Enma barked. "Focus damnit!" Hiruzen snapped to as Orochimaru plunged a tagged kunai in Hashirama's head.

"Edo Tensei(Resurrection to the Impure World)." Orochimaru spat out gleefully, hopping away from the corpse as it was revitalized to prime condition.

"Oh no." Sarutobi whispered. Fighting against Orochimaru alone was hard enough, fighting against Orochimaru and Hashirama was going to be all but impossible. '_Very well. This shall truly be my last battle_.' Reaching into the same pocket as before, Sarutobi drew out two more of the soldiers pills, gifted to him by the Akimichi clan, and consumed them. In moments, the weary Hokage felt a rush of strength and energy - as well as a bone-deep ache. Fingers twining together, Sarutobi summoned two Kage Bunshin as Enma reassumed his staff-shape. The high cost of the Shadow clones helped reduce the pain, but Sarutobi knew that with 3 such pills running through his system, he would not have long before his chakra coils burst. Taking up Enma once more, Sarutobi charged as his two clones began forming ninjutsu. Seeing his mentor counter-charge him, driven to protect his summoner, the black-clad Hokage braced himself for impact.

"Doryuu Taiga(Earth Flow River)." Called out the left clone.

"Shouten Kaen Tama no Jutsu(Focus Flame Shot)!" Bellowed the right clone, Sarutobi's less developed Fire affinity requiring more effort then an Earth technique. Caught in the left clone's technique, Hashirama was unable to escape while the right clone formed a cantaloupe sized ball of flame between his hands. Heat shimmers radiated between the shadow clones fingers as he finished the technique and promptly launched it at Hashirama who was using his own Earth affinity to fight his way free of the mud trapping him. The resurrected Shodai took the Katon to the chest, disappearing in a blaze of fire chakra. Both clones stood ready, wondering if the Edo Tensei had some how dulled the Shodai's reflexes; the man should not have been so easily taken down. The got their answer when the reanimated Hokage stepped out of the flames, body reassembling itself from the terrific impact. Exchanging hard glances, both clones began other techniques as Hashirama advanced on them.

On another part of the roof, Orochimaru and Sarutobi dueled furiously. Enma and Kusanagi clashed repeatedly as the elderly shinobi burnt through chakra like trash in his attempt to kill his former student. The Snake Sannin was finding himself being driven back. '_I cannot believe this. How can this shriveled old fool still fight so well? No, I will not stand for this!_' Taking a glancing strike on the side as an acceptable cost, Orochimaru drove the older man back and began forming hand seals.

"Mind your surroundings whelp!" Enma snarled as he extended his arm and hand from his staff form and seized on of Orochimaru's right wrist. Snarling, the snake-summoner flicked Kusanagi up at Enma's arm forcing the Monkey King to let go or lose his limb.

"Damn you, you flea-bitten ape!" Calling upon the Kusanagi's powers, Ororchimaru extended the blade and attempted to stab his mentor. Sarutobi frantically blocked, avoiding a lethal wound. Enma, however, howled in pain as the legendary blade craved a deep gash in his staff-form.

"Enma!"

"I…I can't take many more of those. We must finish this quickly." Glancing to check own his Shadow clones, who were falling back from the relentless, resurrected Shodai, Sarutobi hurled Enma at his former student.

"Occupy him for a moment Enma!"

"Right." Enma replied as he attacked the Snake Sannin, whipping through the air in a very aggressive pattern, using his own extension abilities to hold off a furious and worried Orochimaru. Forming a single seal, Sarutobi formed two additional Shadow Clones. The moment he did however, the Hokage's entire body felt as if he had been set ablaze. Gasping, Sarutobi dropped to one knee, struggling to overcome the agony crawling through veins and chakra coils.

'_I'm nearing my limits. Soon the effects of the three pills will overcome me_.'

Staggering to his feet, Hiruzen called on a lifetime of training and a will stronger then the finest steel to stand up. "Your time has come to an end, Orochimaru." He whispered. With a gesture to his clones, all three copies of Sarutobi scattered.

Orochimaru and Enma both saw Sarutobi and his clones spread out. Briefly wondering how the hell the elderly shinobi was maintaining 4 shadow clones and still fighting, Orochimaru turned slightly to impale what he was certain was the original.

It was all the opening Enma needed.

Extending a portion of his staff form behind Orochimaru's back, Enma released his transformation. Cursing, the mad scientist/ninja started to move out of the way, but was not faster then the Monkey King whose arms and legs looped over the pale-skinned shinobi's and locked together. Shrieking in rage, Orochimaru thrashed and squirmed, attempting to slither free like the viper he was. Enma grunted, struggling to hold the desperate nuke-nin.

"Now Sarutobi, now!"

Feeling his finely tuned danger senses go haywire, Orochimaru calmed enough to actually look at what techniques Sarutobi and his clones were using.

"No! NO NO NO!"

As Orochimaru renewed his wild efforts, the Monkey King whispered in his ear. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, traitor. Die, feeling the suffering you spread."

"Gougi Tatsumaki no jutsu(Grand Tornado technique)!"

"Karyuu Endan(Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)!"

"Karyuu Endan(Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)!"

As the three technique converged on Orochimaru, Enma dismissed himself, cackling.

* * *

Swearing heartily, the surviving clone of the two sent to distract Hashirama clambered among the tree branches summoned via the Shodai's Mokuton techniques. Hearing the reanimated Hokage coming for him, the Shadow Clone sighed, wishing the other clone had not been hit by a body-shatteringly strong punch.

"Retsudo Ten-"

The technique went unfinished as Hashirama coaxed one of the trees spreading further and further along the roof to smash down on the clone. Finally finished with his two opponent, Hashirama turned from his nearly mindless assault and ran to where Sarutobi was creating a rather nasty example of Hell.

* * *

"This is so bad." Temari muttered as she watched her youngest brother slip further and further into a state of total madness. "What are we going to do?"

"Stay the hell out of their way." Kankurou whispered back.

"Stay out of whose way?" A voice asked from behind them. Screaming in fright, both siblings jumped and spun in place. Frantically scrambling for their equipment, they paused upon realizing the three genin facing them had them completely corralled. Well, Temari and Kankurou could most probably fight their way free, but they had no intention of taking the risk of getting knocked off a roof into a fight between two angry Jinchuuriki.

"Their way." Temari told the kunoichi quickly, pointing down to the demolished area of the village.

"Oh kami." Tenten breathed as Ino and Sakura gaped at the sight of Naruto and Gaara fighting hammer and tongs. The neither combatant was paying any attention to their surroundings, a fact that should of, would of gotten them killed if not for the simple matter that they were Jinchuuriki. Not that the Konoha kunoichi knew that, but still, what the girls were seeing was horrible. Neither boy seemed human as they fought with murder in their eyes.

"This is bad, this is very, very bad!" Sakura whimpered, unknowingly copying Temari's own comments.

"How bad?" Ino asked, ignoring the Suna blonde's incredulous expression.

"The closest thing to this I've seen to this from Naruto was in Wave…and he killed 200 men before he calmed down."

"200?" Temari squeaked, wide-eyed as Kankurou groaned and buried his face in his palms. "Kankurou, we've got to get out of here! Now!"

"Right behind you big sister."

Though surprisingly quiet, no one missed Gaara converting the plaza surfacing and a dozen or more buildings into sand. The material promptly flowed together and formed into a life-sized copy of the Ichibi. As the top half of Gaara pushed out of the construct's forehead, Temari and Kankurou paled and fled, bulling past the stunned Konoha Kunoichis.

"Um guys, we should probably run to." Tenten said, backing up.

"**YAHOO! I'm finally out, and there are so many things to kill! Yeah hahahaha!**"

"Now." She said, starting to run, the other to girls following suit. In fact, every ninja in the vicinity was running, especially when the other youki source fluctuated a minute later with a scream.

"**SHUKAKU****!**"

* * *

Watching the released Bijuu stagger about the cleared area, cheering for the blood and death he was about to cause, having rose in an actual village for once, Naruto felt a moment of real doubt. '_How am supposed to take that down._' The doubt grew worse when he felt his hands start shaking noticeably and an ache filled his body.

"_You haven't got long now wielder. I can sense your body starting to shut down from the strain._"

"_**You will not fall yet you shaved tree-vermin! Show that overgrown sand-flea who the greater demon is!**_" Roaring from the depths of his prison, the Kyuubi began changing the youki surrounding his host. Naruto gasped, feeling the power flowing through him alter it's very nature.

"_What_…"

"_**Take MY Foxfire human; defeat Shukaku, earn glory…defend…your home**_**.**"

"Foxfire…I know what to do with Foxfire. Kitsune-Bi Akuma no Jutsu(Foxfire Devil technique)." Black Mirage hummed and shook violently as the ancient sword attempted to purify the energy pumping out of his wielder, but there was too much. Red Foxfire made up the majority of the ninjutsu construct's body, with the jewel blue of the purified chakra forming the accents and features of it. A hundred feet tall or higher, the bloody-red and jewel-blue mimicry of the Kyuubi set itself in an aggressive, superior posture. 9 tails lashing impatiently, and finally, the construct's mouth opened.

"**SHUKAKU****!**"

The Tanuki Bijuu paused mid-dance, mouth open. Turning slowly as the last of the ninjas cleared the area, the Ichibi eyed the Foxfire construct before him.

"**Kyuubi?**"

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Drooling crimson Foxfire, the construct charged. Shrieking, Shukaku threw his arms up in time to keep the Foxfire Devil from latching onto his throat. Ripping and lashing at Shukaku with claws and tails, the combined efforts of Naruto Uzumaki, the Black Mirage Blade, and the Kyuubi no Kitsune overwhelmed the panicked Ichibi with unbending determination, polished cunning, and endless fury.

"**Help! HELP! I don't want to die!**"

Shrieking and yelping, Shukaku called up every dirty trick and desperate tactic his insanity-scrambled and panic-stricken mind could dredge up. Rolling around and demolishing more buildings in the struggle, Shukaku resorted to simply smashing the Foxfire Devil with one arm. The other was stuck in the construct's mouth and his tail was frantically attempting to parry the construct's nine. Stumbling on an idea, Shukaku jammed his feet into the construct's chest and snapped his legs straight, driving it off him. Sucking in a deep breath, Shukaku aimed his mouth at the Foxfire Devil and slammed a fist into his gut.

"**Renkuudan**(Drilling Air projectile)**!**"

The enormous orb of wind chakra scored a direct hit, ripping through the middle of the Kyuubi construct and cutting it in half. Laughing manically, Shukaku began levering himself into a standing position as the construct unraveled, raining down tendrils of Foxfire.

"**Ha ha ha! Take that Kyuubi! I beat you. I tore you in half! I win, I'm…what the…?**" Shukaku stared as the falling tendrils stopped, then began moving against gravity. "**Uh-oh.**" Swatting at the Foxfire bits, Shukaku tried backing away, but it followed him, revolving around him like a tornado. "**No! I won't go back inside! I won't, I won't, I won't!**"

Having gathered enough power, the Foxfire stopped circling and shot inwards, slamming into Shukaku as a solid sheet.

"**NNNNN**NNnnooooooo…!"

The presence of youki in the air finally peaked, and began to recede as both Jinchuuriki lost access to their prisoner's power and fell from the sky.

* * *

"Guy-sensei…what is this terrifying power."

"That is not my secret to share Lee-kun. All I can say is that it is a very rare thing…and I thank the kami for it."

Sasuke twitched, revealing in no other way his interest in the conversation. The Uchiha heir knew that some of the foul energy swirling through the air belonged to Naruto. It wasn't quite the same as what the blonde had used before, but it was close enough for him to recognize. '_So powerful. Even greater then the strength that comes from Orochimaru's mark. How did _Naruto _come to possess it? Kakashi claimed that the blue fires were some kind of bloodline, and no sword could create such an aura. What is this…and how could I gain such a thing?_'

"Hokage-sama!" One of the ANBU shouted despairingly as the rest shuffled unhappily. The rest of the group on the roof turned from the sight of two Bijuu-sized opponents fighting in the heart of the village to the barrier containing the Hokage and Orochimaru. Inside the barrier, the Hokage's wind and fire combination technique was burning its last, dying to fitful embers and a swirling pattern of super-heated gouges. The Shadow clones were all gone, destroyed by the heat. The center of the technique contained a charred corpse, reducing almost to a skeleton from the flames, even Orochimaru's inhuman resilience overcome. The Hokage himself was in better shape, intact though burnt. Despite his seeming health, the village leader was convulsing helplessly on the roof.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Yelled the 4 Oto ninja, shock on their faces at the sight of the powerful nuke-nin in such shape.

"You have done it Hokage-sama." Kakashi murmured, eyeing Orochimaru's body. Neji inclined his head respectfully, acknowledging the Sandaime's skill. Guy and Lee both saluted, the start of manly tears forming in their eyes.

"Ku ku ku…such a ninja you still are…sensei." The Konoha shinobi stared in shock as the charred skeleton stirred, its jaw opening.

"O-Orochimaru-sama…" The 6-armed Oto-shinobi stuttered, sounding as surprised as the Konoha shinobi looked. "…you're alive." With a wet scraping sound, like a snake shedding its skin, a grievously injured Orochimaru emerged from the mouth of his own corpse.

"How…?" The Hokage gasped, marshalling himself through the pain of his chakra coils tearing themselves apart.

"My research." Orochimaru hissed, looking next to death himself. Whatever technique he had used to escape his end, it had taken much out of him. It was evidently not perfect either, judging from the burns that covered his body, from second degree scars on his torso to the dead and sloughing flesh of his hands and feet. "Hashirama!" From the ashen shadows of the Shodai's Mokuton techniques, Hashirama emerged, body fully pieced together. "Kill him!"

Inclining his head ever so slightly, Hashirama charged.

* * *

When Guy saw the Shodai step into sight, he knew that he had to do something. Anything to help the Hokage, the man, who had watched over the village for a lifetime. A man who'd done so much for Guy and everyone else in Konoha. Standing in an old and familiar stance to better focus, Guy took a deep breath.

"Kaimon(Opening Gate) - Open!"

The ninja around him scattered, surprised, as the Taijutsu expert opened the first of the 8 Celestial Gates.

"Guy! What are you doing?"

"Kyuumon(Rest Gate) - Open!"

"Guy-sensei?"

"Seimon(Life Gate) - Open!"

"Get clear!" The ANBU commander shouted, "Wait to see what he is attempting."

"Shoumon(Wound Gate) - Open!"

"Tomon(Limit Gate) - Open!"

Kakashi's eye widened. "He's not stopping! Run faster!"

"KEIMON(View Gate) - OPEN!" By now, Guy's skin was a deep red, and his whole body bulged with over-exerted muscles and struggling veins. The scattering Konoha-nin had only a moment to observe Guy before he vanished in a blur of pure speed…directly at the Shishi Enjin.

"GUY-SENSEI!"

* * *

Orochimaru watched gleefully as the enslaved Hashirama raised his hands to deliver a finishing strike to the helpless and twitching Sarutobi. He had taken far too much damage, had come too close to death for his comfort, but at last, he'd get to watch sensei die.

"KEIMON - OPEN!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as a large green figure burst through the Shishi Enjin, igniting as he did. "No!" Orochimaru screamed as the figure hit Hashirama like a meteorite, throwing the Shodai into a wall of the barrier. Turning, the still burning figure's intense aura of chakra turned into a veritable nova.

"OROCHIMARU! PREPARE YOURSELF!"

A moment later, Orochimaru found himself on the wrong end of an ass-beating for the second time that day.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama!" Kidoumaru, commander of the 4 Sounds, Orochimaru's personal guard, yelled as his leader was tossed about like a leaf in a storm by some sort of green freak producing chakra on level with a Jinchuuriki. Helplessly watching the Snake Sannin being pummeled by a Taijutsu technique that was setting the air on fire through friction alone, the 6-armed Oto-nin made a decision. "Drop the barriers, grab Orochimaru-sama and let's get out of here!"

"Fuck you!" Tayuya spat, reddish hair whipping as she shook her hair. "Not till Orochimaru says so."

"I don't think he can really manage it right now." Sakon observed, painted lips twisting up. "Damn it, I thought these Leaf morons were weaklings."

The fires created by Guy's speed began taking a surprisingly elegant shape as the final member of the 4 Sounds, Jiroubou, spoke up. "I think Kidoumaru's right. I think we should…"

"Asakujaku(Morning Peacock)!"

Screaming, Orochimaru was drilled into the roof as he burned from Guy's aura.

"Now!" Kidoumaru screamed, releasing his hold on the barrier. The other three mimicked him and rushed for their leader as Guy moved to end the Snake Sannin's life.

"Jukai Koutan(Birth of a Dense Woodland)." In the wink of an eye, sturdy oak trees sprouted from the roof of the building and formed a protective dome over Orochimaru. The 4 Sounds threaded through the trees, snatching their leader and fleeing for all they were worth. The Konoha shinobi attempted to follow but Hashirama's technique quickly intercepted them, giving Orochimaru and his minions enough time to make good their escape. The Shodai meanwhile tried to physically attack Guy, but the Jounin had already ripped himself free and counterattacked. Close by, Sarutobi clung to consciousness as he dragged himself towards Guy and Hashirama. Guy was no longer burning from the barrier, but the loyal shinobi was badly hurt and the strain of the Celestial Gates was no doubt increasing the damage.

"G-Guy." The Hokage managed he was finally overcome by the pain of his coils being destroyed. "Tag…in his h-head."

"YOSH!"

_Kar-KLOCHIC!_

Ignoring the tugging from Hashirama's head, Guy crushed it into pulp and retrieved the tagged kunai inside. Twisting the steel into scrap, Guy burnt the tag into nothingness. With it's destruction, Hashirama crumbled, his form reverting to that of the sacrifice offered up to bind him.

_Thank you_

Smiling at the words from the Shodai's passing spirit, Guy released the flow of the Celestial Gates and promptly collapsed, bleeding and burnt.

* * *

Gaara wept piteously, in more pain then the redheaded Jinchuuriki had ever been in his life. When the Shukaku had gained control, his host had watched, distantly, through their connection. Gaara had watched the fight and had been dismayed at the other Jinchuuriki's skill. How could this blonde be as strong as him, what had he suffered to gain such strength?

_click…clatter_…

Twisting as much as he could with his injuries, Gaara laid his eyes on his opponent once more. The blonde looked flayed. Resembling a zombie, Naruto doggedly dragged himself towards Gaara. Face twisting, causing more pain, Gaara tried to have his sand crush the crawling Konoha ninja, but he had no strength left.

"Go away…" Gaara rasped "I don't want to die!"

Grunting, Naruto clawed into reach of Gaara. "Jinchuuriki…"

"What?" Gaara croaked, confused.

"You're not…sand sorcerer. You are a Jinchuuriki…l-like me. Shukaku is a Bijuu, I-I have a Bijuu. S-Should have realized…sooner."

"Does it matter." Gaara whispered, looking away.

"W-we are different...but still brothers. Family s-shouldn't fight." Trembling, Naruto grabbed Gaara's collar. "But…Konoha is my home…m-my people. Y-you hurt them again…I'll k-kill you…brother or not." Gaara watched as the blonde let go and drew his hand back, going limp.

'_He beat me, he beat Shukaku…and let me live_.'

From beside the two Jinchuuriki, there was a _whoosh_ of displaced air as Temari dropped in. Snapping her fan closed, the pony-tailed kunoichi grimly snatched up her littlest brother, knowing he did not have the strength to hurt her if the Konha-nin was still alive. Confused, exhausted, and hurt, Gaara finally passed out. Noting the lack of tension in her notoriously insomniac brother, Temari misinterpreted it.

"You _bastard!_" She snarled, drawing her fan back to DESTROY the younger blonde. Maniac or not, family was family. "Kamaitachi(Cutting Whirlwind)!"

"Makyou Hyoushou(Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors)."

Temari's eyebrow's lifted when a sheet of ice completely blocked her attack. She swore when more sheets began forming around her. Flicking her fan open, Temari shot backwards over the ground, barely avoiding the forming trap. "What the hell?"

From one of the sheets, a girl with pale skin and dark hair and eyes appeared. "Leave now, or I will make you regret it! I will not let you take him away from me!" Looking down at her brother's body, Temari considered her options. It'd been easy to zip over head to pick up her brother when Shukaku had collapsed, but the Konoha shinobi were undoubtedly coming to pick up their Jinchuuriki. In fact…

"I'll see you later bitch, this isn't finished!"

Haku waited until Temari was well out of sight to stop her technique. Padding over to Naruto, Haku tenderly gathered up the blonde. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. I will take care of you. Neither of us will ever be lonely again."

* * *

"Damn…the old man is gonna be pissed."

Pinching his nose tiredly, Jiraiya tried hard not to look at the destruction around him. The invasion had ended hours ago. Between Orochimaru's retreat and the Shukaku getting beaten neither invading force had held on to the morale to keep fighting. ANBU had since secured Konoha's walls, but damage assessments were still rolling in. The center of Konoha had been trashed by the Bijuu fight. The walls themselves had one massive breech and several minor holes. The casualties were more pressing really. The medical facilities were packed, both with Konoha forces and captured invaders. The Toad Sage did however thank the kami that civilian causalities were almost non-existent. Just a handfuls of deaths and a few more in injuries.

The very worst off, of course, was Sensei, Guy Might, and Naruto Uzumaki.

The prospects were slim for Sarutobi and Guy. Ruptured chakra coils were always life-threatening, especially in someone as old as the Hokage. Sensei was tough though, and the medics were confident that if he made it through the next 24 hours, he would eventually regain consciousness. Guy was a wreck. Opening 6 Gates was rough on anyone, and the burns covering the entirety of body made things…complicated. Even if the Jounin survived, the medics felt that he might not never ever make a full recovery.

'_If only hime were here…Sensei and Guy would be in much better shape._'

Naruto was in the best shape technically, despite having lost patches of skin, sustained nerve damage, and picked up a case of chakra poisoning from the Kyuubi. Still, the boy had already woken up once, only to be soothed back to sleep by the pretty little thing that had brought him to the hospital. Jiraiya allowed himself a grin, absently taking a handful of papers from another messenger. It seemed his little godson was starting early, and such a fine catch too! Giggling a little, Jiraiya looked over the latest reports.

'_Oh damn_.' Jiraiya thought, feeling his good mood slipping away. '_That Kabuto boy got away during the invasion. What else could go wrong?_'

"Jiraiya-kun, may we have a word?"

Jiraiya slapped himself in the face as Sensei's advisors approached him with serious looks on their faces.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid! Never, ever tempt Fate kami damn it!_'

* * *

Kitsune-Bi Akuma no Jutsu(Foxfire Devil technique): Behold, the secret is revealed!

The Foxfire Devil technique is not a technique per se, but Naruto's Bijuu manifestation. Certainly not as polished as Killer Bee's abilities, the presence of Black Mirage offers Naruto the option of purifying a portion of the Kyuubi's Youki. The manifestation ability is useable only when all three minds agree to use it because a single conflict would disrupt the flow of energy. In the manifested state, Naruto is capable of wielding Foxfire freely, possessing a non-rigid form. Meanwhile, his body is well hidden by all the illusionary power the three can muster and cushioned by a corona of Foxfire, making hitting him difficult, but not impossible, especially not with a Hyuuga's assistance.

As a note, Black Mirage's mental filtration ability extends Naruto's time wielding youki, but it costs him the ability to use anything but low level illusions.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ain't you guys glad? No long wait for the other half of the cliff-hanger! You want to know the best part though? I wrote entire sections of this chapter at work in my head(I've no room or time to jot it down) and I actually remembered it long enough to get home. I think I'm really starting to make some personal improvements on my issues. So, maybe some real progress on RSDM soon. I hope.

Anyways, what do you guys think of the changes in the progress in the invasion? Some definite big alterations. Sarutobi is still alive, and Guy is messed up something awful. Fear not! They shall still both be alive when Tsunade arrives…maybe

As a final matter, I would like to heartily like to thank VynosNeptune. They have a rather nice collection of ninjutsu/genjutsu spread over many different elements, including rare ones. I used this list quite a bit in this chapter to round out the battles and give some originality to the story. For a full description of them, and others, go to his page. It's very helpful.

Anywho, Tigee86, out!


	12. Chapter 12

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"Misery loves company. That's why marriage is for just two people. Misery hates crowds." -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

Jiraiya stared moodily into a saucer of sake, swirling it slowly and allowing the reflections of light coming off of it to hold his attention. Really, it was far too early to drink, but damn it, he had a good reason. Those two buzzards disguised as human beings had insisted that HE be the Fifth Hokage. As if he had the time(or inclination) to run a village when he had a continent-wide spy ring to run. '_I can't do it. I certainly won't do it for them._' Mind you, even if he was feeling particularly patriotic, the Toad Sage had far more important things to worry about, like the Prophecy. '_I've got to feed the Council of Elders another candidate. If Gai weren't in such bad shape, he'd be popular enough right now to be seriously considered. Kakashi's strong, but he's let his rep turn to shit. Asuma's got the pedigree, but not the strength. Sadly, that's the best three possibilities; a weirdo and two lazy bastards._' Heaving a deep sigh, Jiraiya tossed back the last of his sake. "Wish Tsunade were here to drink with me, definitely improve…the…scenery." Jiraiya froze, looking thunderstruck, as an idea, a deviously wonderful idea percolated through his mind. "Bwa-haha, I amaze even myself!" Allowing himself a moment to pose and showcase his awesomeness, Jiraiya then zipped off towards the Hokage's tower.

* * *

"Let me out damn it! I'm bored as Hell and I haven't had any ramen all day! Ramen! Ramen Ramen RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN!" Howling like a wild dog, Naruto strained and thrashed about as much as he could in his hospital bed. It was only the day after the invasion, but already Naruto could feel his nerves thrum with tension. There were rumors, so many awful rumors that the blonde didn't have the first idea of how to sort them. '_The Old Man can't be dead, he just can't…_' Exhaling to get rid of that thought, Naruto forced himself to focus on other thoughts, like escape. '_I got to say though, they really went all out this time…_'

The hospital had long ago learned that Naruto was not a graceful or cooperative patient. Even the smallest of things required holding him down, particularly anything involving needles. Thus, on the rare occasional that Naruto actually required extended care, the staff brought out the rope. This time however, not only was he tied down, the head of this wing had had an ANBU liberally apply chakra suppressing seals on and around his bed. Even that wouldn't have been enough to hold him had Naruto's hands not been torn up during the invasion, but they had and he was stuck…for now.

"Ramen. Ramen. Ramen. Ramen. Ramen. Ram-"

"For the love of all that is sacred, STOP!"

Pausing his chanting, Naruto flashed an impudent grin at the lower ranking ANBU member who'd had the misfortune of drawing guard duty on the Jinchuuriki. Like Hell he was going to make this easy or anything resembling peaceful for them if he couldn't get some of his favorite food. "Ramen! Ramen, ramen, ramen…" The ANBU was seriously considering murdering Naruto and just accepting the consequences for it when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." The masked shinobi said quickly, praying it would keep the cruel little bastard quiet for a few minutes. Unaware of the ANBU's tenuous grip on his temper, Haku walked into the room. Smiling sweetly, the dark-haired girl approached the bed, holding out a take-away container of ramen.

"I brought you something to eat Naruto-kun."

"YES! You're the best Haku-chan!" Blushing prettily, Haku seated herself next to the bed and began feeding the blonde. As he ate, Naruto was regaled with a casual overview of the village's condition. Naruto winced repeatedly as she talked, mostly when the level of damage to the village's center was mentioned. He and Gaara had done considerable harm to that area during their fight, as short as it was. Waiting for her to wind down, Naruto gave Haku his best smile. "So…want to let me out of this?"

"I don't think your doctor would like that, Naruto-kun."

Naruto, Haku, and ANBU guard all looked to the door as it was slid shut. Standing in front of the portal was someone familiar, though Naruto couldn't place the red and white clad kunoichi right away. Smiling warmly, the kunoichi grabbed a chair and seated herself next to Haku, who watched the older woman carefully. "Hello again Naruto-kun, I haven't seen you since the day after your graduation." Recognition dawned.

"You're Kurenai."

Smiling widening a touch, Kurenai reached over and patted Naruto's left hand, maintaining eye contact. The gesture made the fine hairs on the back of Haku's neck rise up. The kimono-clad girl just outright twitched when Kurenai's response came out…teasing.

"A lady always enjoys being remembered, Naruto-kun. Thank you." Haku forced herself to stay calm as Kurenai leaned forward slightly, even though her mind screamed '_Hussy!_'. "But, to business. Naruto-kun, I have been asked to watch over you as you recuperate today." Kurenai paused, turning to dismiss the ANBU guard, but the man was already gone, having skipped out the _moment_ he saw the chance. Unsettled, Kurenai quickly gathered herself and turned back to Naruto. "I won't just be watching out for you, I will also be tutoring you in Genjutsu." Naruto brightened.

"Really? Awesome! Does that mean you're going to cut me loose?"

"Maybe later." Kurenai laughed, smiling indulgently. "First, we are going to run over the basics, to make sure that there aren't any gaps in your training." Naruto pouted unhappily, but didn't fight the kunoichi as she started going over Genjutsu 101. Haku watched them intently, ignoring Kurenai's attempt to gently usher her out. The Hell if she was going to leave Naruto alone with this…_woman_.

* * *

"That can't be healthy you know."

Kakashi didn't bother looking up from the Memorial Stone; he knew exactly who that was. "I doubt it's any worse then some of your less dubious habits Jiraiya-sama." The Toad Sage stepped up next to Kakashi, shrugging.

"Maybe. But I'm not here to discuss our personal habits. Or even wish you well on your mission." Jiraiya added the last, eyeing Kakashi's gear. No surprise they were sending him out already, what with all the wounded.

"Oh?" Kakashi inquired quietly.

"I'm going to be heading out soon to contact the new Hokage. I want to take Naruto with me, get him out and about while they have you running missions to cover for the wounded." Kakashi finally turned away from the Memorial.

"Contact the new Hokage? And why take Naruto with you?"

"It's been decided that Tsunade is to be the new Hokage, and I've volunteered to go inform her of her appointment. I'd like to get Naruto out of town for a bit, make sure everyone is settled down from the attack. He did somehow manifest the Kyuubi after all. People are…nervous." Kakashi eyed Jiraiya suspiciously.

"Oh…and you offered to do this out of the goodness of your heart Jiraiya-sama?" Jiraiya snorted, give a quick shake of his head.

"What, I can't spend a little time with my godson?" Kakashi didn't say anything in response to this, but he continued to stare at the older man. Jiraiya huffed childishly, upset that his motives were so easily suspect. "Fine. As part of a deal to avoid being made the Hokage, I agreed to perform an in-depth examination of the Seal to make sure there has been no degradation. It's hardly a task, I need to evaluate his skills anyways. So, I'll be taking him for a while. I'll be sure to bring him back in one piece, hahaha!"

Kakashi sighed as Jiraiya vanished via Shunshin. "Why does that not inspire confidence?"

* * *

"…so, the trick is…texture?"

"In a sense. When crafting an image, you must be certain to include small flaws, minor imperfections. A 'perfect' appearance draws suspicion in the human mind. An odd quirk makes something seem more real. Furth more, details will give the target something to focus on instead the whole of your genjutsu, making it less likely to be seen thru. If they are busy with the little things, people, even ninja, are less likely to see the bigger picture."

With his sharp hearing, Jiraiya was easily capable of over-hearing the conversation going on in his godson's room. Sneaking up to the door, the Sannin silently cracked it open to see what was going on inside. Spotting a dark-haired pretty little thing and the mature and sexy Kurenai Yuuhi keeping his godson company, Jiraiya found himself strangely wanting a pair of victory fans. Shaking off the odd urge, the legendary ninja/writer/pervert concealed his pride at the boy's 'conquests' and threw the door open to step inside.

"Yuuhi-san, Naruto Uzumaki, and mysterious pretty lady, I am the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, of the Legendary Three Ninja! I've come to have a word with Uzumaki-san, so I'll have to ask the two of you lovely ladies to leave for a moment." A leer crawled its way across Jiraiya's face as his hands instinctively assumed a squeezing position. "Unless, of course, you ladies care to…'convince' me?" Shooting the older man a look of disgust, Kurenai stood.

"I suppose I can trust Naruto-kun's safety to you for a short while." Kurenai paused in the doorway, giving Jiraiya a pointed look. "His _physical_ safety anyways."

"Hey!" Jiraiya protested. "I am a man of refined taste, dallying only with glorious flowers in full bloom, not a deviant!" In response, Kurenai merely sniffed.

"Are you coming Haku-san?"

"No." The girl responded simply. Jiraiya lifted an eyebrow in her direction.

"Please leave. This is a shinobi matter."

"Make me." Haku told him, voice as steely as the senbon she produced from the depths of her sleeve. Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kurenai all looked at the girl, surprised.

'_Well, well…she's definitely concerned for him. Maybe even in love. A godfather can hope anyways._'

"I swear on my honor as a Sannin that he'll be fine."

"As if I would leave him while he is helpless!" Haku snapped back with some heat, earning a single nod of respect from Kurenai who had not quite left yet. Jiraiya sighed. He didn't have time to deal with overprotective females, even hot ones. He had to get the hell out of Konoha before the Council of Elders got it into their heads to submit his name as the final choice for the Fifth Hokage. In a movement even Kurenai missed, Jiraiya freed Naruto from his restraints.

"There, free. Is that better?"

"Jiraiya-sama!" Kurenai interjected, stepping away from the door. "Naruto-kun needs to heal!" '_And stay here long enough for me to get a good look at that sword._'

"Don't worry about it." The Sannin said, waving away her concerns. "He's an Uzumaki. There's no one tougher. He'll be fine." Naruto's eyes narrowed at the Sannin's words.

"It's fine Haku-chan, Kurenai-sensei. He's right, I'm tougher then I look." Both women reluctantly left after that, though Haku did pause long enough to give Jiraiya a look that promised an eternity of pain if he so much as hurt a hair on Naruto's head. Jiraiya just smiled wistfully until they were finally out.

'_First Minato, and now his kid…what IS it with Namikaze men and crazy women? Oh well, at least they're hot!_'

"You know about my family?" Turning away from the door, Jiraiya eyed Naruto as he sat up.

"I knew your mother." Jiraiya offered, seeing no harm in telling the kid about her, given that he carried her name. "A real spitfire named Kushina. They used to call her 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero' due to her temper and hair. I didn't know her that well really, but she was a strong woman, loyal and caring. I think she would have been proud of how you turned out." Naruto just stared, floored by Jiraiya's comments. The Toad Sage hid his grin as he waited for the boy to shake it off. If this didn't get him in good with the kid, then not much would. It took Naruto a couple of minutes to turn over the thought that someone actually knew something of his parents. However…

"Did you know my father?" Jiraiya hid a wince. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Your mother wasn't married, I'm afraid."

Jiraiya hated doing this, didn't want to even imply what he was, but Naruto wasn't strong enough to deal with his father's enemies…on top of the ones that the kid had probably earned during the invasion anyways. He seemed to be on his way though, so probably in a couple years Jiraiya could tell him everything. Naruto, meanwhile, was fighting down an explosion of emotions. It was impossible to keep track of them all, so he wound up focusing on the strongest…loathing.

'_A bastard child. That's…I'm a bastard._'

The Kyuubi stirred, excited by the dark thoughts and feelings coursing through his host. Upon figuring out what was going on, the Bijuu almost burst out laughing. Oh, he was definitely going to use that one day. Though curious about what had the Kyuubi so amused, Black Mirage had no desire to deal with an angst-ridden teen.

"_Strength is respected, no matter one's legitimacy. Be powerful and no one will care who or what your parents were._" Naruto nodded sharply, confusing Jiraiya.

"_Your right. I _will _be the Hokage one day. What will it matter then, right?_" Releasing the sheets he'd crumpled up from the stress, Naruto looked Jiraiya in the eyes.

"What did you want anyways?"

Jiraiya decided to be magnanimous and let the disrespectful tone go just this once given the situation. "You know about your…furry little guest, right?" Naruto nodded, looking suspicious. "Well, your fight with the Suna Jinchuuriki has stirred the seas of opinion so to speak. The Council of Elders feels it would be best if you were out of town for a little bit whilst turbulent waters settle down. So, to that end, you've been assigned to accompany me while I look for the woman who is to become the Fifth Hokage." Naruto flinched.

"Then it's true that Old Man Hokage is dead?"

"What? No!" Jiraiya said quickly, frantically waving away the idea. "He's alive, though badly hurt. Unfortunately, he'll never fully recover from the injuries he received driving off Orochimaru so it has been decided to allow him to finally get his retirement." Jiraiya was glad to gloss over a certain amount of detail, given how close Naruto was to the Old Man; the Konoha General Hospital did not need an angry Jinchuuriki venting grief in the facility.

"Oh. So, I'm going with you huh? When?"

"Today." Jiraiya told him quietly, eyeing the door. Naruto blinked rapidly in surprise.

"Whaaaat?"

"The faster the better kid, so hop to it. I wanna get out of Konoha within the hour."

"I think I'm going to need to see some official orders." Naruto said slowly, feeling that something was really off in this situation.

"That's all? Here." Tossing Naruto a scroll containing said orders, Jiraiya waited impatiently for him to finish. "Come on brat, we're burning daylight here." Eventually admitting that the orders looked official, Naruto rolled up the scroll and stood up.

"Fine. At least I'm getting out of here, dattebayo!" Twitching, Jiraiya watched Naruto leave the room, getting Haku to follow him with a few quiet words.

'_Damn it! Of all the things he could/did get from Kushina, did he HAVE to get THAT! I already know he's going to drive me crazy with it._'

"Jiraiya-sama…" came Kurenai's far-too-sweet-to-be good voice "a word?"

"Toad Sage, away!" Jiraiya shouted, wooden sandals clacking rapidly as he fled from the angry, red-eyed woman.

* * *

"Can't you refuse? You aren't well yet."

"Haku-chan…" Naruto sighed "if the villagers really are upset then it's a good idea for me to leave for a while." Haku pouted unhappily as she continued following Naruto to the West gate, where the orders had directed him to go. The former kunoichi had been trying unsuccessfully to talk him out of going with Jiraiya, feeling that his need to heal was greater then the villager's need for comfort. Helping him pack had not helped her cause, but if he really was determined to leave, then Haku wanted him to be well prepared.

"Please stay?" Naruto sighed, seeing Jiraiya fidgeting by the gate as they made the last turn.

"I'm sorry Haku-chan. But I'll be in trouble if I ignore orders. Besides… he knew my mom." Haku finally surrendered on the subject, familiar with the need to know of one's past, even if hers was beginning to come back in larger and larger pieces.

"I understand." As they made it to the gate and Naruto began signing out, something that Ino had said came back to her. Waiting until the blonde was finished, but before he could follow the twitchy looking Jiraiya out the gate, Haku stepped forward.

"Good-bye Haku-chan. I'll be back before you mmphh!" Jiraiya hooted along with the Chuunin gate guards as Haku framed Naruto's face with her hands and gave him an enthusiastic, if clumsy, kiss.

"Good luck." She whispered to him, her voice soft. Stroking his cheek as she turned, Haku walked away, not realizing that she'd gained a bit of extra sway in her step. Behind her, Jiraiya grinned stupidly, dropping a brotherly arm around Naruto's shoulder.

"Not bad brat, not bad at all! I give her a 10!" The gate guards snickered as Naruto blushed an atomic red.

"S-shut up! All of you!" "_Don't you even start in on this!_"

Black Mirage merely grunted. "_When you start having orgies, then I'll get excited._"

Jiraiya and Naruto's departure wound up getting delayed for 5 minutes as the Toad Sage had to revive the blonde when he inexplicitly fainted.

* * *

"Kabuto! Damn you Kabuto, move faster!" In the depths of a hidden laboratory in the Land of Rice, Kabuto looked up from the latest medicine he had been making.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." The medic-nin called out, taking what little of the medicine had been finished with him as he approached his superior. Coming to a stop near the head of the bed, Kabuto took a moment to adjust his glasses while studying the monitors recording Orochimaru's condition. "Your fever seems to have spiked, Orochimaru-sama." The Sannin hissed violently, splints and braces rattling in his rage.

"Tell me something I do not know fool! Tell me how you are going to fix my body!" Kabuto smiled, the expression not quite matching the look in his eyes.

"I'm just doing my duty as your physician Orochimaru-sama, no need to be upset." A moment later, Kabuto jerked his head to one side, barely dodging a viper that Orochimaru had been keeping somewhere in his throat. "I am doing the best I can Orochimaru-sama, but the damage is extensive. Your legs are the best off and they were laced with fractures. Your wounds are complicated by the debris and filth that was packed into them during the fight, as well as the foreign chakra your body absorbed from over exposure. I am very good Orochimaru-sama, but I am no miracle worker."

Orochimaru stared at the silver-haired shinobi, the phrase 'Miracle Worker' ringing in his feverish head. Slowly, the Snake Sannin grinned, his mouth stretching to inhuman proportions. "Very well. Then we shall…recruit…a miracle worker. Ku ku ku!"

* * *

"Found him already? Too bad we didn't get to go into Konoha…though I guess with all the damage from the attack, there probably wouldn't be many places open for a bite to eat." Chuckling, a massive figure clad in a black full-body robe spotted with red clouds turned to his smaller partner. "What do you say, let's go in and get something to eat anyways."

The smaller figured swiveled his head up and over to see the other man's sharp and triangular teeth bared in a menacing smile. The small bell dangling from his straw traveler's hat jiggling, the second man shook his head. "There is no need to enter Konoha, Kisame. Even less to seek out a fight. Your bloodlust shall have to wait."

Still grinning, the bigger man began walking, trailing lazily after their target, who they had spotted leaving Konoha in Jiraiya's company. "You're no fun Itachi. Don't you want to see your old home?"

Itachi directed a cutting look towards Kisame, showing no other reaction. The still-grinning man simply laughed off the small but threatening gesture, reaching back to adjust the huge bandage-wrapped shape slung on his back. Life just wasn't as fun without a little risk.

"Ah well, at least I've a fight with a Sannin to look forward to, right?"

* * *

"Alright kid. Wait here in town for a bit, I'm going to going to do a bit of poking around."

Naruto looked around Otafuku city, a small boarding town that had sprung up about 35 km outside of Konoha years back. "Seriously? You're going to start looking for that lady in this place? If she was THAT close, why did they bother sending someone like you?" Naruto wasn't quite sure how strong the white-haired man was, but his name did sound a little familiar and Black Mirage insisted that he moved like a seasoned warrior.

"Moron! I'm not going to be actually looking for Tsunade, I'm just going to put the word out with my contacts to start looking for her. Just hang around and try not to get in trouble, stupid." With that, Jiraiya vanished, too quickly for Naruto to tell if it was just speed or some technique.

'_Well, now what._'

"_Go shopping._" Naruto jerked a bit, surprised by the right-field suggestion.

"_What?_"

"_You have finally advanced far enough that you no longer need those ribbons and strings as a focus for your techniques. Get rid of those rags and get something more respectable._" Naruto considered the sword's words. He hadn't wanted to get rid of his orange jumpsuit in the first place, and had only done so 'cause the old blade had an interesting point…and he hadn't wanted to listen to someone bitch inside his head day in and day out.

"_Like what then?_" Naruto asked irritably, not wanting to pick something and have it rejected out of hand. The sword sent him a feeling of nonchalance.

"_Your chain of command doesn't seem that worried about their uniform code. Just get something with dignity._" Sighing, Naruto started asking passers-by for directions to a clothing shop. Meanwhile, Kisame and Itachi trailed behind the blonde, waiting for the perfect moment to attack and keeping an eye out for Jiraiya's return.

* * *

_Ding ding_

Quickly hiding her magazine, the clerk of the first clothing store Naruto had come across pasted a bright smile on her face and cutely called out a practiced greeting. "Welcome to Nanami's, I'm Yuuka, how can I help you?" The clerk giggled a bit when her newest customer just stared at her with a flustered look, apparently rather shy. '_Ooh, this could be fun, and I'm soooo bored._' Cranking up her smile, Yuuka slid out from behind the counter and to the younger boy's side, putting her hands on his shoulders and guiding him further in the shop. "So cutie pie, what did you need?"

"Um, clothes." Naruto blushed at the focused attention from the older girl. "New outfit." Yuuka grinned, with just hints of evil.

"Ooh…" she crooned "I get to play dress up with a cute little doll!" Naruto stared at her with a horrified look, unable to move as the older girl whisked him into the heart of the shop and clothes began flying.

* * *

Naruto took a moment to control his breathing and the furious blush painted on his cheeks. The last 30 minutes(he thought) had been both embarrassing and educational. Who knew there were so many rules to fashion? Luckily he'd mentioned being a ninja early on and Yuuka had redirected her efforts to finding something fashionable and sturdy. That requirement had limited possible options and had sped up the whole process. Still, it felt like the salesgirl had held up every piece of clothing in the shop up against him, teasing him all the while. It hadn't helped that Mirage AND Kyuubi had razzed him constantly about 'being a pussy' and 'showing that vixen her place'.

"_Can't you guys just leave me alone about this?_'

"_She just trying to make a sale, suck it up._"

"**No! No host of mine should be so disrespected!**"

Sighing again, Naruto started pulling on the outfit that Yuuka had eventually decided was the one for him. Wanting to get this over with, he had grabbed the outfit and fled to the changing room. Putting on the last article, Naruto looked at himself in the mirror.

"_Much better. Makes you actually look like a warrior._" Naruto fidgeted, not sure. It was just so…dark.

The apparel that Yuuka had picked out for 'such a cute lil' ninja' had no bright colors except for his standard issue sandals and the cloth of the forehead guard covering his hair. His pants hadn't been changed much, just switched out for a darker brown color. His battered vest had been replaced by some style of short sleeved robe top that he wasn't familiar with made of a thick, rich brown cloth and dark green piping. His brightly decorated limb wrappings were gone. Ashen grey wraps now hid most of the skin on his legs. From wrist to elbow, both arms were instead protected by leather bracers dyed a forest green. Over all, it was a very somber and back-to-nature looking outfit

"_Where did she even find most of this stuff?_"

"_You really want to know, or are you trying to find something else to bitch about?_"

"_You aren't going to let this go are you?_"

"_Fine._" Naruto felt a minor draw on his chakra as the orange spirals that had decorated his clothes for as long as he could remember appeared. A small one formed on the right breast of the robe-top and a larger one appeared on his back, visible in the mirrors lining the room. "_Have the salesgirl take the patches from the vest and stitch them on this. Better?_"

"_Yeah._" Naruto replied, feeling happier now that the familiar emblems were on the clothes. Feeling acceptance from his wielder, Black Mirage relaxed. Apparently those spirals had some kind of real meaning to the boy, even if didn't consciously recognize it.

"_Excellent. Let's have her stitch them on, pay her, and then…then…oh fuck no! Gods damned soul-sucking bastard. Get ready to fight._" Confused, Naruto stepped out of the changing room.

"_Fight? Who am I supposed to - oh shit!_"

While Naruto had been in the changing room, two men had entered the clothing store. They were both tall, though one of them was better described as huge. Both were dressed in red and black clothing, topped with straw hats. The bigger man was carrying what looked to be a bandage-wrapped zanbotou. It was this bundle that Black Mirage focused on even as Naruto's gaze was drawn to Yuuka, who was slumped in a corner. The blonde was relieved to see that the older girl was breathing, if staring glassy-eyed at nothing.

"Who the hell are you bas…assholes, and what did you do to her?"

"Nothing, Naruto Uzumaki. And we shall not, if you cooperate."

"_Don't trust them._" Black Mirage told him instantly. "_That big one's sword eats life-force, chakra._" Naruto swore mentally.

"_How do you even know that?_"

"_Sentient weapons like myself can sense each other at close range. And that one's aura screams of a hunger for chakra._"

"Please do not delay Naruto. I have no wish for unnecessary death."

"I do!" Said the bigger man, a toothy grin gleaming from under his hat.

Naruto's eyes flickered between the two men and Yuuka. He was willing to take a shot at them, but not with a civilian in the line of fire. '_Only one thing to do…_' Calling on his mental connection with Mirage, Naruto lifted his hands towards the men, palms out as if surrendering. Ignoring the disappointed noise from his partner, the smaller man moved forward, getting close enough for the blonde to see his red and black eyes. '_Looks like Sasuke's Sharingan_' Naruto noted as he molded chakra.

"It is good that you have seen reason Naruto. It is better for everyone if -"

"Hotaru(Firefly)."

Both men paused, eyeing the rapidly forming dots of colored lights. "What's this supposed to do?" The bigger man grunted. "Shock and awe us?" The other man studied the lights, Sharingan blazing. With his incredibly sensitive eyes, he was the only one of the two partners to notice the subtle change in their composition.

"Kisame, close your eyes!"

_FLASH!_

Even with his eyes closed, Itachi could feel the sting of the intense and chaotic lights stabbing into them. Kisame fared far worse. "RRAAGHHHH! Fucking shit! I'll kill you, you miserable little flesh-bag!." Sensing movement that didn't come from Kisame's wild trashing, Itachi assumed a defensive stance with a kunai in hand, but the presence he sensed shot past him. Frowning, Itachi tracked it and launched a handful of shuriken from his left hand. Hearing a yelp of pain, Itachi darted to the corner of the shop where he'd dropped the salesgirl and lashed out with an open palm strike, all the while keeping his eyes closed against the dying light.

"OoFF!" _CRASH!_

Finally, the lights faded away and Itachi opened his eyes. Naruto had moved quickly it seemed, snatching both his belongings and the salesgirl. At the moment of course, he was lying in the street having been driven through the wall by Itachi's strike. "You are only making this harder on yourself Naruto."

"Where is that little bastard! I'll rip his legs off!"

"Kisame! Collect yourself. We must take Naruto and flee before Jiraiya-sama returns."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BASTARD, FREAK!"

A moment later, jewel-blue flames poured into the shop in a torrent of searing heat. Snarling, Naruto got to his feet and Body Flickered away with Yuuka. He really didn't want to have to explain this to the local authorities, especially not with genjutsu'ed girl in his arms.

Behind him, the flames consuming the shop were extinguished with a strong Suiton technique. Stepping out of the remains of the building, a singed Itachi followed Naruto's Shunshin trail with his chakra senses as an even worse burnt Kisame made his own way out. The 'Monster of the Mist' had badly red-rimmed and tearing eyes that only made his furious expression that much worse.

"We had best leave Kisame. Jiraiya-sama would have noticed that." Kisame snarled angrily, but complied with his partner's wishes.

'_The next time I see that brat, he's fucking dead! DEAD!_'

* * *

Jiraiya tsk'ed when he felt Naruto's chakra spike wildly inside the city. '_What the hell is that boy doing?_' His brows furrowed when he felt the blonde move fast enough that he could have only used Shunshin. "What's the kid running from?" Forming a seal of his own, Jiraiya Flickered to where he felt Naruto's chakra. Arriving on a rooftop, Jiraiya prepared himself for a fight. When no one tried to kill him after nearly a minute, the Sannin relaxed and looked over his 'escort'. "Naruto…why is there a hypnotized woman in your arms…and is that new clothing?" Naruto flushed slightly.

"I didn't do it to her! Some jerks in red and black cloaks did it to her!"

'_Red and black? That's not good._' "I hope you got all your things kid, 'cause we're getting out of here."

"What about Yuuka?"

"Yuuka…? Oh the girl!" Stepping up, Jiraiya performed a quick Kai, dispelling the genjutsu on her. "There. Get her down. We've got to go before those men come back." Nodding, Naruto jumped down and gently set the stirring girl on her feet.

"Sorry about this Yuuka-san. Please don't be mad." Quickly handing her what he thought was enough cash to cover the clothes, Naruto sped off after Jiraiya who was already heading out. Yuuka just stared after him for a moment before looking at her surroundings.

"How did I get out here?"

* * *

"So, who were those guys?"

Jiraiya looked out of the corner of his eye at the blonde walking beside him. Considering the stories he'd heard, Jiraiya had expected the kid to start yapping away even before they got out of Otafuku city. Huffing, Jiraiya waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. You're safe as long as you're with me."

"They knew my _name_ jackass. Don't feed me that kind of shit. I saw how you reacted when I described their clothes. Tell me what's going on."

"I don't feel like it." The Toad Sage responded airily, crossing his arms and looking away. Still, the wily shinobi could see the blonde reach into his top(which Jiraiya had still not gotten a decent explanation for) and take on a look of concentration. '_What's he doing?_' Deciding to see what the genin was up to, Jiraiya stopped and waited. The blonde didn't pay much attention to what was going on, though he did stop when Jiraiya did. After about a minute or so, the air in front of Jiraiya shimmered slightly. Curious, he leaned forward and peered at it, wondering what going on.

_Tell me…_

Jiraiya blinked as an almost unheard voice whispered directly into his thoughts.

_Tell me…_

Jiraiya almost snorted, but didn't. He hadn't known the kid was playing around with this kind of technique. '_Wonder if he borrowed the idea from the Uchiha or if he thought it up on his own? He isn't very good though._' Resisting the kid's attempt at hypnotizing him, Jiraiya studied the method. '_A little slow, but persistent. Not half-bad for an amateur, but he does need a lot of work._' "Hey kid, are you really stupid enough to think that attempting to mind control your superior is a good idea?"

Naruto removed his hand from where it rested on his chest and glared at Jiraiya. "I wouldn't have to if SOMEONE would just tell me why a couple of jerk-wads tried to snatch me!" Jiraiya shrugged.

"They aren't your friends, that's all you really to know right now."

"Tell me damn it!"

"Make me!" Jiraiya retorted, dashing a short distance down the before blowing a raspberry at Naruto. "Nnyyyyaahhhh!" Chortling, the Sannin took off in a full run, enjoying making the kid steam. It would prove to be interesting way to pass the time on the way to the next city.

* * *

"Isn't he funny?"

"Stupid, more like it."

"Well I think he's funny, so there."

"We aren't watching him for his comedic value. We're suppose to judge whether or not he's worthy of making a pact with the clan. Quite frankly, I do not believe he is."

"'Cough' Shukaku 'Cough'"

"…Fine. But we will wait until he is alone and only THEN, approach him. And none of your little 'surprises'. If we are to do this, then we shall do it right, and a proper first impression is very important."

"Aww, you never let me have any fun…"

* * *

Traveling with Jiraiya was annoying Naruto had decided just 3 days into the mission. The man was surprisingly childish and obnoxious for a full-grown man(not that Naruto wasn't guilty of the same things) and he had the most aggravating habit of vanishing the moment Naruto looked away. Of course the fact that the older shinobi had thus-far resisted/refused to divulge the reason that the two men had attempted to kidnap him didn't help Naruto's impression of him. The only good thing that had come of the mission so far in Naruto's opinion was the fact that he'd gotten to explore the cities that the two ninja were traveling through. Having never been anywhere but Wave and Konoha, the chance to see the world was pretty awesome to him. The fact that everyone seemed to be getting ready for some kind of up coming festival made it even better because strangers were hardly noticed and Naruto could walk around without being bothered or stared at. At the moment, he was strolling down the main thorough-fair having been bailed on by Jiraiya hours earlier. Stomach growling, Naruto sniffed the air, debating lunch. He'd only seen a few ramen stands so far, and none of them came even close to Ichiraku quality.

'_What to eat, what to eat._' As he tried to pick something out, Naruto was surprised by a sudden tug on his pocket. Thinking a bold or stupid pickpocket had just snatched his wallet, Gama-chan, Naruto snapped his hand out and tried to grab their wrist. Instead of clamping onto a wrist though, Naruto felt his fingers hit something…silky? Looking down, Naruto was just in time to watch a small canine disappear in the crowd holding his wallet. "…Why you furry little thief! Come back here with Gama-chan!" Yelling angrily, Naruto took off after it while Black Mirage laughed hysterically about the whole situation. Ignoring the blade's amusement, Naruto pounded down the street, just barely dodging pedestrians and assorted items along the way as he pursued the small thief. "Damn it, stop running!" Looking back over it's shoulder, the canine took a sudden right turn and disappeared down an alley. Cursing, Naruto barely made the turn after it, but managed to keep his wallet in sight. The blonde spent the next several minutes playing follow the leader, making countless twists and turns, quickly and completely losing track of where he was. In fact, Naruto was so occupied with chasing after the animal that he didn't even notice when they left the city and headed towards a small thicket. In fact, he didn't realize where he was until the little beast ran straight up a tree and settled itself in a high branch, looking rather smug.

_That_ stopped him dead in his tracks.

Snapping out of his narrow focus, Naruto looked around, finally realizing he was completely out of the city before studying the little animal that had lead him on a merry chase. It was, he noted with dismay, a fox. A small and adorable looking example of said species that looked normal…if one discounted the strong glow of health and vitality as well as the unusual and playful intelligence in its eyes. Naruto watched it suspiciously as the fox nosed the wallet into a crook of the branch and pawed it as if inviting him to come get it. Given his previous experience with a certain other fox, Naruto was not about to just jump up after it. "So, did you want something, or are you just having a little fun?" Triumph flashed in the fox's eyes before its muzzle opened up.

"See! See! I told you he wasn't stupid! I was right, you were wrong!" Naruto goggled at the sweet and chirpy female voice that issued from the fox as a deeper, monotone male voice came from higher in the tree, along with a slightly larger fox who dropped down next to the first.

"So he has a brain. That doesn't mean that we should offer him the him the pact."

Naruto shook himself out of his shock, blurting the first thing that came to mind. "Pact! What pact?" Heaving a long suffering sigh, the male leapt to the ground beside Naruto, followed shortly thereafter by the female who shoved Gama-chan out of the tree before jumping.

"I believe you humans call them 'Summoning Contracts'. I am Inki, this is my sister Suki. We have been directed to seek out a contractor for the Fox clan. My sister believes that you are a perfect choice."

"Yep!" Suki agreed, giggling. "Juuust perfect!" Inki rolled his eyes before continuing.

"I am not as convinced, but Suki has vehemently made her case and I currently have no greater prospects, thus have agreed to a trial pact."

"Yay!"

Naruto stared at the foxes in disbelieve. "You…want me…to be a Fox summoner?"

"Suki does, I would rather someone more intelligent." Naruto twitched.

"Right. No thanks." Just a hint of relief flashed over Inki's face but Suki immediately started sniffling.

"B-But why not?" She asked, directing large, sad eyes at him. "Pwetty pwease." Naruto started sweating as Suki's pleading gaze bore straight into his.

"U-uh, n-no thanks. I have enough trouble with people in Konoha as it is." Inki pressed a paw to his forehead as Suki jumped onto Naruto's shoulder and stared into the boy's eyes from inches away.

"Pwease sign with the foxes?"

"_H-Help, she doing something to me. I can't fight down the urge to say yes._"

"_Actually, she isn't. You're just a sucker for pleading females, even the non-human ones._"

"_Oh come on!_"

Suki gently nuzzled against Naruto's cheek. "Pwetty pwetty pwease wit' a cherry on top?"

"O-Ok!"

"Yay!" Suki cheered, jumping down from Naruto's shoulder and doing a strange dance of some kind. "Kuchiyose(Summoning)!"

_POOF!_

With a snapping sound, the end of a scroll came rolling out of the cloud of chakra smoke that accompanied the summoning, stopping at his feet. As the smoke cleared, Naruto got a full look at the scroll. It was rather large and seemed fairly new. The top of the scroll was taken up by writing that Naruto couldn't understand and embossed with a fox image. The rest of the scroll was filled with large empty rectangles that were stacked all the way to the bottom. "Ta-da! The Fox summoning scroll!"

"Using blood, please sign your name in the top box and then finger print your dominant hand in the same box."

"Um, I'm having second thoughts."

"So am I, but my sister WILL get what she wants eventually."

"I'm relentless!" Suki giggled happily.

"_Creepy._" Naruto thought with a shiver, eliciting a chuckle from Black Mirage. The Kyuubi was being perfectly silent, which Naruto couldn't decide was good or bad. "Uhh…"

"_SIGN IT ALREADY!_"

Yelping, Naruto dropped to his knees and bit his thumb, signing the scroll before he even had a chance to think about what he was doing. '_Oh crap!_'

"YAY! Naruto's our summoner!" Hoping back on the blonde's shoulder, Suki happily wrapped herself around Naruto's neck like a scarf. "Let's play!"

"Perhaps we should teach him how to summon first?" Suki somehow managed to pout despite having a muzzle, but waited impatiently as Inki began teaching Naruto the hand seals for Kuchiyose no Jutsu.

* * *

"Te he! You're such a naughty man Jiraiya-sama."

"Yes I am!" Jiraiya declared proudly, waving his cup in front of another one the girls hovering around him. "A truly naughty man, in search of sweet company." The girls giggled and cooed, playfully touching Jiraiya. Leering, the shinobi reached out to caress one of the girl's bottom when a small furry shape came out of nowhere and attached itself to Jiraiya's face.

"I found you! I found the old guy! Got him, memememememe!" Screaming, the cat house girls scattered into the establishment as Jiraiya leapt to his feet and frantically pulled the thing clinging to his face off.

"What the Hell!" Jiraiya did a double take. "A fox?"

"Hi!" The vixen in Jiraiya's grip chirped. "I'm Suki, what's your name?"

"Jiraiya." The man sighed. "Do you mind telling me who sent you?"

"Naruto!" Suki told him happily. "He's the Fox clan's new summoner!" Jiraiya twitched.

"NA-RU-TO!"

"It's not my fault!" Naruto's voice called out weakly from outside the cat house. "They found me!"

"Get in here damn it!"

"But-!"

"NOW!"

Slowly, Naruto trudged into the building, carefully keeping his eyes only on Jiraiya. The few girls still in the area watched nervously as Jiraiya snagged Naruto the moment he was in range. "What the HELL were you thinking?"

"I was tricked, tricked!"

A moment later Suki was jumping up and down on Naruto's head. "No you weren't! You said yes, you said yes! YES YES YES!"

A smile tugged at Jiraiya's lips he watched the blonde get terrorized by a small fox.

"You need not concern yourself. My sister is quite…unusual, but she means no harm." Following the sound of the new voice, Jiraiya spotted a second fox on a nearby table. "I am Inki. You've meet my sister Suki I see. We're representatives of the Fox clan, sent to recruit a summoner for the clan. She has chosen Naruto, and I have agreed on a trial basis." Jiraiya's ears twitched as hope rose in his chest.

"Trial basis? That mean you'd be willing to cross him off your contract right now?"

"Why?" Inki asked, tilting his head.

"Because he's going to be a Toad summoner!" Jiraiya told the fox stoutly.

"I am?" Naruto asked in shock.

"_NO HE'S NOT! MINE, HE'S ALL MINE!_"

Everyone flinched as Suki screamed, sending the feeling of red-hot ice picks lancing through their minds. Calming down, Suki giggled. "Sorry everyone. My bad!"

"Told you I was tricked." Naruto whispered in Jiraiya's ear, getting a nod from the man.

"Ok. Tell you what. We'll hold off on the decisions for now. Let the trial basis run through, ok?" Jiraiya used his most charming tone for the statement, hoping to keep the obviously crazy vixen from making him deaf.

"Deal!" Suki agreed, beaming. Grinning back at her, Jiraiya gestured out the door.

"Why don't the two of you go get something to eat. Me and Naruto are going to have a little man to man talk." Cheering, Suki bounced out of the cat house, singing about 'roasty rabbits'. Inki followed more sedately, pausing just outside to give the two shinobi a meaningful look.

"I would advise against aggravating my sister. She can be quite malicious when the spirit moves her." Warning delivered, the fox departed. Waiting until he was sure both summons were out of ear-shot, Jiraiya brought Naruto up to face level.

"Ok brat, let's have a talk, you and me!"

* * *

"Damn it brat, use that brain of yours!"

Jiraiya and Naruto were on the roof of the cat house the older shinobi had been patronizing only minutes earlier. The Toad Sage had been hoping that the boy would give him an excuse to smack him around a little bit for signing with the Fox clan, but the moment Jiraiya demanded the full story, Naruto spilled his guts. Burying his face in his hands, the white-haired ninja wondered how much sake it would take to forget this whole week. "Why are you so stupid?"

"Hey! What was I supposed to do with that she-devil climbing all over me?" Jiraiya shot Naruto a furious look.

"Use genjutsu to trip her up before she lured you out of the city and then figure out what kind of trap you're being lead into." Naruto opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of something to say, but he eventually just looked away, unable to defend himself. Sighing, Jiraiya give his head a shake before reaching out and patting his godson on the shoulder. "We all make mistakes Naruto. You've just got to learn from them, or you'll wind up dead." Shooing away the gloom over the both of them, Jiraiya reached for his emergency sake flask and took a hit, absently offering Naruto a draw. The blonde hesitated, but accepted, taking only a small sip before being wracked with harsh coughs.

"Gahh!" Chuckling to himself, Jiraiya put the flask away.

"Even funnier then I'd thought it'd be. Anyways, this isn't as bad as it could be. Sure, the Clans aren't exactly known for letting go of chosen summoners, but that Inki fox said that it was only a trial run. We can have you free and clear of the Fox clan by the time we get back to Konoha."

"About earlier?"

"Hmm?" Jiraiya queried, wondering what was asking.

"You said 'Because he's going to be a Toad summoner!'. Why did you say that?"

"Ah." Jiraiya, having never been good with the sentimental stuff, but…

"Because." He said finally. "In a strong way, you remind me of one of my students. You look…a lot like him, though anyone who'd ever talked to your mom for more then 5 minutes can tell you are her child at heart. I'm still a young and sexy stud of course, but after seeing what happened to sensei…I realized I should start looking for someone to pass the Toad Sage mantel on to when the Shinigami finally mans up enough to take me on. I think I'd like that to be you."

"Oh." Naruto said quietly, touched by the sort of trust something like that implied. Even Black Mirage and the Kyuubi remained silently, though the latter was seething for some unknown reason. "Hey Jiraiya. Do you think you could tell me more about my mom?" The older shinobi sat there, staring silently at nothing long enough that Naruto thought he was going to refuse. Instead, after several minutes, Jiraiya took his flask back out and took a long swallow from it before speaking.

"The first time I saw Kushina, I thought she'd dyed her hair, because I'd never before or since then seen anyone else with quite that shade of red. Of course, I learned it wasn't the hard way when I jokingly compared her to a rose. One second I was being my manly and charming self and then BAM!…she'd kicked me square in my pride. I couldn't stand for an hour after that, but really, I got off easy compared to the time…"

Naruto listened, fascinated, for hours as Jiraiya shared story after story of Kushina Uzumaki, managing to fill up the entire afternoon. To his dying day, Naruto considered it one of the greatest gifts he'd ever received.

* * *

**Author's Note:** A little short and light on the action I know, but it set up several important things for the future. Some serious AU in this chapter as we finally start really jumping the rails. I know quite a few of you will be glad to see Haku and Naruto's relationship start to get off the ground.

A big surprise for this chapter, Naruto 'getting' the Fox summons. Of course, the question now is whether or not he'll keep it. The next chapter will DEFINTELY have some real hellfire to it, as Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade all have a knock down, fist-flying reunion.

Tanzaku will never be the same again…


	13. Chapter 13

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"There are some things in life that are just best left alone. A hornet's nest. Spiteful gods. A woman's vengeance. I swear, you mojo a queen into doing a public strip-tease just _once_ because she WOULD NOT shut up and it's nothing but assassins and guardsmen after you for years and years…" -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

"Good afternoon Rock-san."

The smile Lee flashed at the hospital's receptionist was one of habit. The young woman manning the desk didn't mind. She was used to it by now, as the odd young man had come to the hospital to visit his sensei every day since the invasion. The two Taijutsu specialists had been well-known to the hospital staff for some months before hand, so Gai's admittance to emergency care was meet with concern. Watching Lee disappear up the stairwell, the receptionist heaved a sympathetic sigh.

"They are such nice boys, it's a shame they're so crazy."

Lee didn't notice the woman's commentary at all, far too focused on the purpose of his visit. Padding up the sturdy stairs(Lee's weights made him too heavy for the elevator) gave the young man with a bowl-cut hairdo far too much time to think about his beloved Gai-sensei's injuries. Second and third degree burns. Damaged and torn muscles and chakra coils. Complicated bone damage. Shaking himself out of his depressive funk, Lee clenched a fist and raised it in a manly and determined pose. '_No! I mustn't fall victim to the Rains of Depression!_'

"I must hold tight to the Flames of Youth!"

_Cough Cough_

Lee blinked, taking notice of the ANBU standing guard in the corridor outside Gai's room. "Forgive my unruly passions ANBU-san!" The masked operative nodded, gesturing to Gai's door.

"You are forgiven. Please step inside Lee-san and stop disturbing the others on this floor."

Saluting, Lee stepped inside. Face somber, the teen took up his usual vigil at his mentor's bedside. Beeping softly, the machines cluttered around Gai's bed worked to regulate the sedated man's airflow and vitals. "Don't worry Gai-sensei, your Youthful Flames will blaze once more."

* * *

_Poke_

"Wakey wakey."

Naruto grunted sleepily, swatting at the cold, wet nose poking into his neck.

_Poke Poke_

"Wakey wakey!"

"Go 'way." Naruto muttered, rolling over and pulling his blanket over his head. On a futon a few feet away, Jiraiya grunted at the sound but kept sleeping. Stalking back and forth on the edge of Naruto's futon, Suki pouted as best she could. Why wasn't Naruto ready to play with her?

"There you are Suki. Bothering our…Summoner, already? It's only 7 am."

"But I'm bored!" Suki whined, ears drooping. Sighing, Inki trotted up to his sister and gently rubbed up against her to be supportive.

"You really do need to learn some form of calm Suki." Suki thought about her brother's words.

"Probably." She finally agreed. "But not today! BANZAI!" Whooping loudly, Suki leapt into the air and landed on Naruto. "WAKE UP CALL!"

Yelping in shock, Naruto jolted into full awareness, failing wildly. "Help! They're back! They've come to take me away!"

"HI-YAH!" Jiraiya roared, launching himself off the floor and into the attack. Smashing an innocent dresser, Jiraiya staggered around, his hangover kicking in. '_Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have gone drinking after that talk with Naruto!_' "Where are they? Where's the Akatsuki!" Hearing some girlish giggling, Jiraiya froze. '_Aw hell._'

"You're such a funny old man."

"I don't recall that dresser doing anything to you." Inki snarked, looking amused. Ignoring the foxes, Jiraiya watched Naruto's changing expression with dismay.

"So…Akatsuki huh? That's the people who tried to snatch me?" Huffing through his nose, Jiraiya stumbled over to his futon and dropped down on it. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Jiraiya groaned in frustration. He hadn't wanted to let his godson in on this yet, not till after he finished studying the Seal.

'_This just couldn't have happened tomorrow, could it? I just needed one more day to finish an in-depth exam while Naruto was sleeping, but no. Sometimes I think all of the Sannin have Tsunade's bad luck._'

"Yeah, that's them." Jiraiya agreed.

"Why couldn't you just tell me?" Naruto demanded, absently petting Suki as she climbed into his lap to have a better view of any argument that was going to happen.

Jiraiya shrugged in response to this, the gesture looking odd given that he was lying down. "I didn't want to get you worked up and worried. There's been some worry about the condition of your Seal, and well, an angry Jinchuuriki with a damaged seal doesn't end for anyone."

"**Such a lack of trust.**" The Kyuubi whispered. "**One would think that-**" Black Mirage cut the Bijuu off there, preventing the beast from communicating any further with Naruto. Corrupting the blonde was HIS job, and the ancient blade wasn't going to let some demon, lord or not, steal his wielder. Still, some damage had been done, and Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a bit of hurt.

"I helped protect Konoha, doesn't earn me any kind of trust?" Jiraiya shifted his arm enough to eye Naruto seriously.

"Kid, if you weren't trusted, you'd be in a high security cell instead walking around with me. Ninja are paranoid, it's just something that's a part of the life." Moving his arm back into its previous position, Jiraiya relaxed. "Why don't you think about it and take a walk or something. Bring those two with you, get to know them."

Any protest Naruto would have had to that was lost in the ensuing babble from Suki, who eagerly took up Jiraiya's suggestion as her own idea. She was incredibly noisy until Naruto finally got dressed and followed her out of the room, mentioning that breakfast was probably being served soon.

Jiraiya enjoyed the silence, trying not to think about the fact that he was expecting his first clues to Tsunade's location that night.

* * *

"Mmm, yummy."

Smiling a little, Naruto picked up another small piece of fish off of his plate and held it out to Suki who gave a little hop and snagged it from him. The blonde chuckled as he watched the little vixen wiggle and chow down on the offering. Inki contented himself with watching them from beside his own plate, something Suki had turned down. Inki wasn't surprised honestly. His little sister was a natural manipulator, using her adorable nature to bend people to her will. She wasn't spectacular at it, relaying more on raw talent then skill, but as mother stated, she was young yet; skill came in time.

"Tell me Uzumaki, do you have plans for today?"

Naruto feed Suki another piece of fish as he thought about it. "I dunno. Haven't had a chance to think about it yet. What do you guys think?"

"Play!" Suki managed to shout through a mouthful of fish. Inki rolled his eyes and finished a slice of pickle before speaking.

"You could practice summoning. You have yet to actually try it out."

"PLAY!"

"Or we could do that." Inki added calmly.

"Um, sure." Naruto agreed, gulping down the last of his breakfast. Giggling happily Suki swarmed up Naruto's arm before he managed to move away from the table, Inki following along the ground. "So, what do you want to play Suki?" The vixen chatted happily, listing all sorts of games for them to play. "Wait." Naruto said, something occurring to him. "How can we play ball if you don't have any hands?" Suki blinked.

"Oh, silly me." Unwrapping from her cozy perch around Naruto's neck, Suki leapt down onto the street and posed. "Henge!" There was a soft _pop_ and the smoke bellowed upwards before fading away. Naruto goggled at the revealed sight.

"S-Suki?" The vixen giggled, a sound more fitting given her current form. The small red fox now looked like a young girl, no more then 8 or 9. A thick mane of auburn hair was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, just above the collar of her swirling pink and white kimono. Prancing forward on pink slippers, Suki snagged Naruto's hand and pinned him with dancing golden-brown eyes.

"Ok, now we can play ball right?"

"How'd you do that?" Naruto exclaimed, gently poking the vixen in shock. Suki huffed.

"Henge! How else?"

"But Henge doesn't do solid forms!" Suki looked proud.

"Summons can. So nyah!" Naruto looked at her speculatively.

"Suki, can people learn to do it too?"

"Nope!" Suki told him, tugging harder on his hand. "Just summons." Naruto frowned briefly, moving after Suki.

"Is there anything _you_ could teach me?" Naruto asked hopefully, the idea of learning an awesome technique tugging at him the same way Suki was. The vixen paused, absently swinging the older boy's arm as she thought.

"You'd have to ask mommy, she'd know. I'm still learning so I'm not supposed to teach anyways. Can we play now?" Naruto stared.

"You know, sure. Let me get a ball ok?"

"Yay!" Suki cheered, bouncing as Naruto walked over and purchased a ball from one of the festival vendors setting up. Inki watched them a moment longer before padding off. He had a report to make.

* * *

When Jiraiya went looking for Naruto that evening, he did so with a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't have any concrete evidence yet but one of his informants had come to him with what seemed like a good lead. Mind as well check it out. He and Naruto would leave in the morning, provided he could find the brat this evening. The blonde hadn't been back to the hotel all day, which now that the Sannin thought about it, was not good. '_I swear, if he got snatched I'm going to bust some skulls_.'

"Look, it's the funny old man!"

Jiraiya froze as he heard Naruto snicker to his left. Turning his head slowly, the Sannin glared at his 'escort' for several moments before noticing something. "Kid, why's there a little girl holding your hand?"

"Hi old man!" The girl waved with a free hand, her voice easily recognizable.

'_Aww shit._' "Hello Suki, did you and Naruto have fun today?"

"Yup!" She said, grinning. "Too bad Inki couldn't play with us." Jiraiya shot a quizzical look at Naruto, who shrugged in response. Apparently the blonde didn't know what it was about either. "Can we have dinner now old man?" Jiraiya twitched a bit as Naruto snickered a bit.

"My name is Jiraiya, Suki-chan, not old man. You're paying for hers." Jiraiya said quickly to Naruto. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, Jiraiya wasn't sure what but he did enjoy the fact that Suki's ensuing demands for grilled squid brought a look of shock to Naruto's face.

"No way! Ramen!"

'_And there goes my happiness._' Jiraiya thought morosely as Summoner and Summon proceeded to squabble, loudly, about whether they should eat grilled squid or ramen. Loud enough to attract a crowd. "Let's make a deal." Jiraiya told them, grabbing both theirs shoulders to get their attention. "I'll pay, but only if I get to pick ok?"

"DEAL!" They instantly chorused together.

'…_crap, I've been had._' "Come on, we're getting beef bowls." Naruto and Suki pouted but followed; free food is free food after all. "Oh, by the way, I got a lead on Tsunade, so tomorrow morning we're going to head out."

"Where we going to next?" Naruto asked.

"Tanzaku Gai."

* * *

Stigma was a terrible thing. For most people anyways. However, Orochimaru had always enjoyed being compared to serpents, even before he had found the Snake Summon contract. Serpents were cold and logical, striking mercilessly and retreating to live another day. Orochimaru thought of himself as a Lord of Snakes. And Lords, as a rule did not…

"…pacing. Orochimaru-sama, please stop pacing! You are only aggravating your wounds."

"Silence Kabuto!" Orochimaru hissed. "If you haven't any news on Tsunade's location, leave or die!"

Kabuto's face drew itself into a guileless expression. "How fortunate for me that I do. One of your many servants located Tsunade in Tanzaku Gai, Orochimaru-sama." The Otokage paused.

"How likely is it to be accurate?" Kabuto's answering smirk would have chilled a lesser man to the bone.

"Is there anyone fool enough to lie to you Orochimaru-sama?" Orochimaru nodded, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that accompanied the gesture.

"We shall head out immediately. I have no desire to wear these accursed casts and bandages any longer then I need."

"And what should I do about the fact that another one of your shinobi spotted Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki also heading towards Tanzaku Gai?"

"Jiraiya…they must be recalling Tsunade." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Kabuto, assign a squadron of ninja to come with us. I want no chances taken. I will NOT remain crippled by a gorilla of a fool!" Kabuto's smirk widened.

"I will see to it personally Orochimaru-sama."

* * *

Tsunade was a multi-faceted woman. A veritable princess of Konoha, she was beautiful, graceful, well-read, and without doubt the finest medical professional on the planet. She was also a hard-drinking gambler, a foul-tempered and -mouthed brawler and probably the only woman in all of creation to (drunkenly) bitch-slap a Boss Summons the size of a small mountain and knock said creature into an _actual_ mountain.

Had anyone ever possessed the nerve to present these facts to the third Sannin, she would most likely have just shrugged. Or punched them. Tsunade was a bit difficult to predict sometimes. If there was one steady trait to her though, it was Tsunade's horrid luck. The healer's luck at any form of gambling was so miserable that she had become known far and wide as the 'Legendary Sucker', an easy mark for any half-decent player. Tsunade could have borne her miserable fortune if it were not for one little caveat; literally, the only time she ever won a bet was when something terrible was about to happen to her. So when she found herself raking in jackpots, Tsunade couldn't keep herself from worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Tsunade-sama! This is so wonderful!" Shizune, Tsunade's longtime and loyal assistant, declared as she dissolved into giggles, clutching and cuddling her pet pig Tonton. "Oooh, we'll be able to pay off several of your markers, and pay off the tab at our inn, and-"

"Shizune, stop. We're leaving."

The brunette apprentice gapped at her mentor, her pet mimicking her. "B-But why? You're winning Tsunade-sama! Winning!" Tsunade leveled a glare at her student, waiting for the penny to drop. When the young medic-nin kept sputtering, Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Shizune, you've been with me since I left Konoha. What happens when I start winning?" Shizune whimpered, clutching Tonton closer.

"…b-but debts? Need money!" Tsunade tapped her fingers.

"I think a few hours of this is more then enough. I'd rather not have this newest disaster catch up to us in public." Shizune sighed, but soon had her mentor's winnings packed up and brought to the exchange counter. Tsunade fidgeted impatiently through out the entire process and raced out the door the moment Shizune was done. It wasn't going to be enough she knew, it never was with Tsunade's luck, but all she could do was try.

"Tsunade-chan…" A familiar voice hissed "how wonderful to see you again."

Tsunade sighed, coming to a stop before turning to face her very battered, and traitorous, former teammate.

"Hello Orochimaru. What brings you to Tanzaku?"

The Snake Sannin grinned.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

"Are we-umph!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly at Jiraiya, whose face was twitching ominously. The Toad Sage barely even noticed the blonde's expression, far too focused on glaring at Suki who was squirming unhappily in Naruto's grip. The little vixen had grown bored of walking hours ago and had taken up the time-honored children's tradition of bugging the crap out of everyone near her. Naruto hadn't minded it too awfully much being young himself(and not being asked) but Jiraiya was rapidly reaching the end of his rope. The Sannin had been the 'guest' of professional torturers who weren't half this aggravating!

"I swear, if I hear the phrase 'Are we there yet?' one more time…"

Naruto waved nervously with one hand, the other scooting the wide-eyed child form of Suki behind him. "Don't worry about it dattebayo!" Suki nodded from behind him, finally noticing the madness fermenting in the elder ninja's eyes. Alternating between Naruto and Suki, Jiraiya relaxed, deciding that they were going to behave for the moment. Flashing a manic grin, Jiraiya whirled and started down the road again, whistling cheerfully.

"Scary." Suki whimpered.

"I know." Naruto whispered back. There hadn't been an ounce of Killing Intent but it felt like the Shinigami had strolled by.

"Hurry up you two!"

Scurrying to catch up, Naruto's awareness of the surroundings dipped a bit. The moment he did, a small shape streaked out of the high grass running along both sides of the road and landed on the blonde's shoulder.

"Greetings Suki-chan, Naruto-san. I see you have stayed well in my absence."

"Inki!" Suki cheered, reverting to her fox form with a pop and nimbly making her way up Naruto's arm to his empty shoulder. "Did you know the funny old guy is really scary?" She told her brother in a loud stage whisper after dramatically looking around them. Inki sniffed, his own eyes flickering about them as the group began entering Tanzaku Gai.

"He's Jiraiya of the Sannin, of course he is scary."

"Where have you been?" Naruto asked curiously.

"About. Running errands. Has he been taking good care of you Suki?" Naruto frowned slightly but dropped the subject as Suki began chatting away. It wasn't his business what the fox did with his time. Besides, Suki was much more interesting when she wasn't trying to bug him.

"Naruto, look! It's another festival, and this one is in full swing!" Bouncing excitedly, Suki ran down Naruto's arm and transformed into her human form. She made to run to the nearest stall but froze at the sound of Jiraiya's barked command.

"Stop!" Jiraiya stepped back to Naruto and the foxes. "One thing before you kiddies run off and have fun; hand over your cash."

"No way!" Naruto immediately exclaimed. "It's my money."

"Come on kid…" The Toad Sage started a lecture about the three Vices of shinobi but the blonde waved him off.

"I'm not handing over my money, period. See ya tonight." Flipping through a few seals, Naruto and the two foxes vanished with Shunshin, shimmering colors replacing the traditional Konoha leaves.

"Cheeky little shit." Jiraiya muttered, shaking his head. "_Definitely_ takes after his mother. Kami help the poor bastards who manage to piss him off. Ahh well, time to look for Tsunade-hime and finally do some research!" Giggling lecherously, Jiraiya sped off to take advantage of his first real peeping opportunity this whole damn trip.

* * *

_Later that night…_

"…and then he knocked down all the bottles and won me a stuffed dolly, and then he played a fishing game and he won me these goldfish; Breakfast and Breakfast Jr." Suki paused to drool hungrily at the two fat goldfish swimming lazily in their plastic bag. Inki gently nudged his younger twin sister along, having taken a human form himself for the festival to better keep an eye on her. At their young age, there was virtual no difference in their appearance and Inki and Suki could only be told apart by the more masculine-style of Inki's kimono and the male Kitsune's blank expression. Naruto had been surprised for a moment, but having already seen Suki transform he regained his equilibrium quickly. The trio then wiled away the afternoon at the festival, the only one Naruto had ever been to without Old Man Sarutobi's grandfatherly company. Still, evening was coming on and Suki was so wound up she was babbling about everything they'd done. It was time to track down Jiraiya and see what their accommodations were for the night.

"Either of you smell Jiraiya?" Naruto asked, head swiveling to examine the crowd.

"Not yet." Inki responded, sniffing the air. "It is hard to pick someone out in a crowd."

"By smell anyways." Jiraiya agreed affably.

Inki, Suki, and Naruto all jumped, the latter two shrieking in fright at the man's sudden appearance behind them.

"How did you do that?" Naruto gasped, wrapping a hyperventilating Suki in a one-armed hug as his other hand clutched his chest.

"Chakra/presence suppression. Something you apparently don't do outside a fight. Seriously brat, you're like a bonfire in the night. Anyone with even half-assed chakra sensing skills could pick you up."

"Chakra suppression?"

Jiraiya stared at the teen, one eyebrow crawling up. '_How could he not know? I caught that Chuunin exam fight. Once he went into stealth mode he was like a fucking ghost. No way that visual ninjutsu Sarutobi told me about could do that…shit, is he doing it instinctively?_' "I guess it's something we should talk about. But later! First, I'm starving." Looking around, Jiraiya smiled upon spotting a bar and grill. "Let's try there. I could use a drink after spending a fruitless day looking for Tsunade." Neither Naruto or the fox twins had anything against eating there so the group headed over and walked in. Just a few steps in, Jiraiya stopped unexpectedly, making the other three collide with his back.

"What the hell?" Naruto protested, supporting Inki and Suki as they straightened up.

"Tsunade? 'S that you?" Jiraiya asked out loud, ignoring the genin's question.

"Damn it! What the hell are you doing here?" A woman's voice, throaty from years of drinking, sounded out, catching Naruto's attention and getting him to edge around Jiraiya to see who he was talking to.

"_Nice tits._" Black Mirage commented as his wielder laid eyes on a furious looking blonde who's long hair was pulled in to two tails heading down her back. Naruto blushed slightly, trying to distract himself from the woman's impressive bosom by memorizing the purple diamond that stood out on her delicate features.

"_She's very pretty._" Black Mirage chortled as his wielder's mental comment, 'rubbing his hands' evilly. Drawing a bit of chakra so small that Naruto wouldn't miss its absence even with his improved control, Mirage took hold of the light reflecting off of Tsunade and used it to instantly make a complete and accurate image of her body. A moment later, the sword gagged and regulated the image to the depths of his memory, having gone straight through her infamous youth genjutsu to the wrinkly 50+ year old woman beneath. '_So much for using her to tempt Naruto to lustful activities. I'll have to find someone else to put in his dreams along with Haku._'

"Aww…" Jiraiya pouted, a ridiculous expression on a man with a face like his "is that anyways to greet your teammate?" Tsunade almost snarled as Jiraiya took a seat at her and Shizune's booth, motioning for Naruto and the foxes to join them.

"My limit on polite greetings for my teammates is one a day, and Orochimaru's miserable ass showed up first."

Jiraiya's eyebrows crawled upwards at her tone as Naruto snagged a menu and held it open for him and the foxes. "That's an unusual sort of comment from you hime. Of course, I'd heard from the locals that the two of you had a spat today, tore up a few streets?"

This time, Tsunade did snarl. "No shit dumbass! You figure that out while you were hopping between bath houses?"

Jiraiya held up his hands defensively as Naruto looked up from the menu in surprise. Tsunade was definitely in one her 'spread the pain' moods, the sort of state that ended with totally innocent men being launched into neighboring countries for being 'perverted fucks!' He didn't even get to see an inch of skin kami damnit. So what if he'd been in the women's onsen with a drill and 50' of video cable?

"Wow, the big-boobie woman is cranky. Does she need a nap?" Tsunade's eye whipped over to Suki after hearing the vixen's comment, slowly panning her pissed and steely gaze over all three youngsters shortly afterwards. Pointing one well-manicured finger at the kids, Tsunade groused at her teammate, some of the anger draining away.

"Hey letch, what's with the rug-rat and the two genjutsu'd summons? You finally get desperate enough for company that you've resorted to bait?" Shizune looked askew at her mentor but said nothing.

"HEY!" Naruto bellowed loud enough to badly crack his voice. "I'm not a rug-rat; I'm a genin!…wait, how'd you know they were Summons?"

"Same thing, and I'm a Sannin brat." Tsunade shot back, focusing on Jiraiya. "Well?" Jiraiya shrugged.

"He's my 'escort'. I didn't want to deal with some Jounin pain in my ass so I grabbed someone I could ditch at a moment's notice. Tsunade-hime, meet Naruto Uzumaki and his summon companions Suki and Inki."

"Hi!" Suki chirped.

"Greetings." Inki said calmly.

"Yo, how's it going lady?" Tsunade grunted, eyes briefly taking in the Jinchuuriki.

"Yeah yeah. Jiraiya, what are you doing here?" Jiraiya huffed, stealing a cup and some sake from his teammate.

"Tsunade…you're being recalled."

"WHAT?" The woman roared, slamming a palm on the table and surprising everyone in the bar into silence. "I've got wanderer status you bastard, you can't recall me!"

"What's more," Jiraiya soldiered on "you have been declared as the Fifth Hokage." Naruto and Tsunade both flinched; the former not liking the fact that someone else was being offered his dream job and the latter from the thought of everything that came with that position.

"I refuse. There's no way I accept." Naruto blinked in surprise that anyone would turn down the title as Tsunade continued. "My grandfather and great-uncle gave their lives to end a war for a village of people that barely remember their names, the Fourth died barely a year in office, and even Sarutobi wasted his life chained to a desk only to die at the hands of one of his own students. The Hokage title is nothing more then a curse." Silencing Naruto's angry growls with a gesture, Jiraiya leaned forward.

"Sensei isn't dead Tsunade, but he might not make it if you don't come back to Konoha." Tsunade's eyes flickered and Jiraiya knew he had her attention. "While I can understand your hesitance about accepting the Hokage title, at least come heal sensei."

Shizune looked at her master with hope but the female Sannin was too busy glaring at her teammate to notice. "You and Orochimaru, all you want from me is my skills and my name." Tsunade drained a sake bottle and called for another. "Well, you're too damn late."

Suki tilted her head in thought. "Hey big-boobie lady, are you a washed up drunk?"

'_Oh hell_.' Jiraiya thought, ducking under the table Tsunade had sent flying when she shot to her feet at the comment.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Tsunade screeched, sending men and women scrambling for cover, including Shizune.

"Now now." Jiraiya murmured, waving his hands soothingly. "She's just a little girl, she doesn't even know what she's saying. Let's all just calm down and not mercilessly pummel people."

"Shut up Jiraiya!" Tsunade hissed venomously, shooting the white-haired man a look that made his jaw instantly clamp shut. "You!" Tsunade declared, pointing at Naruto. "She's your summon right? So you're taking responsibility for her. You and me, outside, right now!" Challenge delivered, Tsunade stomped outside, ignoring the barkeeper's stuttering attempts to demand that she pay for the damages.

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Jiraiya accompanied the farewell with a commiserating clap on Naruto's shoulder before following the voluptuous medic. Twitching, Naruto turned to face Suki who giggled sheepishly.

"Oopsie."

Naruto's left eye spasmed. '_And I was trying so hard to keep my own mouth shut._'

* * *

"Alright brat," Tsunade shouted "let's get this started." Grinning manically, Tsunade cracked her knuckles and shifted her shoulders to loosen them up. The medic-nin knew the younger blonde didn't deserve the ass-whooping he was about to receive but he'd been the first person to give even a crappy excuse to vent her anger. "Any last words?"

"You're a super ninja like Jiraiya and old man Hokage right?" Tsunade nodded. "Umm, please don't beat me like a drum?" '_Worth a shot._' Naruto thought to himself as Tsunade snorted and started running forward at what was a casual pace for her.

The blonde Sannin cocked an eyebrow as she charged. The brat with the mouthy summons seemed to be frozen in fright. '_Poor brat. Guess I'll make this quick._' Holding back enough strength to make the hit survivable but punishing, Tsunade let fly. Instead of a satisfying _thwack_ of flesh on flesh her fist whiffed right through a genjutsu. '_What, when did he…?_'

_Thud_

Tsunade reacted instantly, one hand snagging the fist planted in her stomach the other swinging in a skull-ringing slap that destroyed Naruto's concentration when it connected. Tsunade lifted the groaning Naruto off the ground by his wrist as his invisibility technique wore off.

"Owie…"

"Jiraiya, I thought you said this kid wasn't a Jounin?" Jiraiya grimaced at Tsunade's blank expression; shit she was pissed.

"I swear Tsunade-hime, I wasn't trying to trick you!" Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Then how the hell did he cast two genjutsu without using hand signs?"

"Like this!" Naruto spat, having rallied while the two adults were talking though he was too concussed to realize what he was about to do was a Bad Idea. "Kitsune-Bi Sousou(Foxfire Funeral)!"

Tsunade swore as blue-flames erupted on her hand. Dropping the genin, Tsunade flooded her hand with healing chakra in practiced patterns, intending to minimize the damage being done by the strange Katon technique. To her surprise, the blue flames seemed to 'leap' off of her skin and reach towards their creator, sputtering out from lack of chakra halfway there. '_Interesting._' Tearing her eyes from the sight, Tsunade moved to finish this little spat.

"Flare!" Naruto shouted desperately, scrambling away from the Sannin. Re-wrapping himself in invisibility and throwing his voice, Naruto starting talking for his life. "I can get in some hits and raise some hell but we both know you're going to win lady!" Pride was temporarily suspended to ensure survival. "Can't Suki just say she's sorry?"

"No!" Tsunade snapped, stomping her foot hard enough to rattle half the town. Yelping, Naruto's control slipped for a moment as the earth shook. Sadly for him, that's what Tsunade was waiting for. Before the genin could scramble to a new position Tsunade darted forward and punted Naruto, hard.

As the Kenjutsu-user flew through the air, an echoing shout could be heard trailing into the distance. "You've just made a prankster enemy…!"

Blinking her slightly teary eyes, Tsunade cut a razor-sharp glare at Jiraiya who raised his hands and backed off. "Don't blame me hime, the two of you got into it on your own. If you'll excuse me, I'd better find my escort. Think about what I've said."

Fleeing as fast he could while maintaining some shred of dignity, Jiraiya headed out to track down his freely falling travel companion. Grumbling, Tsunade stomped off to her and Shizune's room, windows and apprentice shuddering her wake. Left on their own, Suki and Inki exchanged looks before resuming their natural forms and scurrying after Naruto and Jiraiya.

"Big-boobie lady is almost as scary as mommy."

"Almost, yes."

* * *

Naruto regained consciousness the next morning with a dull ache throughout his body. Groaning, the blonde opened his eyes.

"Hi!" Suki chirped from inches away in her human form, having knelt expectantly over the boy, waiting for him to wake up. Naruto froze.

"Umm, good morning?"

Suki wiggled excitedly, hopping a bit in place. "I'm so happy you're awake! I was afraid that the big-boobie lady knocked you senseless forever! Can we have breakfast now?"

"Yeah…" Naruto said slowly, gently pushing the vixen away. "Let me just get dressed." Hobbling around the room, Naruto pulled on his clothes, trying to ignore the fact that Suki was following him and attempting to convince him to add dangly jewelry to his shinobi uniform. Inki eventually took pity on their Summoner and called his sister over to 'check her wardrobe', pointlessly fussing with her kimono until Naruto was finished. Taking the foxes hands, Naruto lead them to the dining room while turning over his last memory of the previous night in his head. A sharp kick followed by a whistling flight and a sudden stop. '_It was like being in the Forest of Death again. Must remember to avoid the crazy, scary lady._'

"Hey kiddo, surprised to see you're awake. Tsunade-hime hits like an angry kami."

"I noticed." Naruto grumped, setting Suki in a chair before sitting down himself. "What's her problem?"

"Everyone has problems kid, but hers are none of your business. But seriously, you might wanna avoid her for a while. Women hold grudges, believe you me."

"Forever and ever." Suki chimed in, not fully understanding what the funny old man was talking about but feeling the instinctive need to comment.

Tossing the vixen an odd look, Jiraiya turned back towards his escort. "Anyway…I'm planning on giving Tsunade two days to think about what I told her. We really can't wait very long, the old man was barely holding on when we left and Gai wasn't doing so hot either." Draining a cup of tea, Jiraiya tapped the table thoughtfully. "Ok kid, I'm going to keep an eye on Tsunade; do you think that you can stay out of trouble until we leave?"

Naruto nodded. "Totally. I've decided to spend some time learning about the Fox Summoning contract." Waking up face-to-face with Suki had decided it for him. It was time to get past the Kyuubi-driven hesitance and put some work in with the summon clan who thought he was worth enough to make a contract with. Besides, maybe he could find out what was up with Suki. Seriously, the little vixen was one of the strangest people/foxes he'd ever meet.

Jiraiya bit his tongue, ignoring the urge to prompt Naruto towards the Toad contract. He wanted Naruto follow in Minato's follow steps, his own even. Kami above did he want his godson to turn out a little like him and for them to bond as family. But, it was not his place to direct the blonde's life. He was a whole damn decade too late for that. All the Toad Sage could, should do, was watch his godson's back and be ready to offer whatever support and advice Naruto was willing to accept. Knowing it was the right thing to do didn't make it any easier though. "Yeah…not a bad idea kiddo. Be careful, and polite, Summons have a lot of pride. Don't hesitate to come looking for me if you run into trouble. Be discreet though, I'll be doing 'research'." As Naruto stared at Jiraiya in confusion, having not quite figured out the older man's habits yet, the Toad Sage smirked back. '_Who knows, it might even be true if he does ok._'

* * *

"Kuchiyose no jutsu(Summoning technique)!"

Shizune wasn't surprised at all by the technique being used, after all, she'd meet two of his summons already the young woman noted as she followed the voice. The young medic-nin had been looking for Jiraiya's genin escort for almost an hour now, starting out after ensuring that her grumpier-then-usual mistress was situated for the day. Shizune was out here, on the out-skirts of Tanzaku Gai, because she felt guilty. Not as guilty she felt Tsunade-sama _should_ feel, but a small worm of shame was burrowing through her gut because of the actions taken by her long-time mentor. However talented at genjutsu he was, Naruto was still a boy and Tsunade was known for her devastating blows. As a medic-nin she should have followed Jiraiya and checked to make sure Naruto was alright. Instead, it fell to Shizune to clean up the mess…again.

"Aww man, not again!"

"Yay! More playmates!" There was chorus of cheers answering the second proclamation. Now curious, Shizune sped up and peeked out around a large into a large clearing where Naruto practicing the Summoning technique, surrounded by…

"Oh my!" Shizune squeaked at the sight of the Konoha genin standing practically knee-deep in foxes. Many, many foxes who all looked straight up at her when she squeaked, staring at her with glittering eyes. Shizune 'meeped' at the sight, feeling a little faint. Ducking back around the tree, Shizune braced herself. She was an apprentice of Tsunade Senju, Miracle Healer. A swarm of foxes shouldn't be so scary, even if they were all summons and therefore had powers of their own. Probably strange mystical powers like possession or the evil eye. Oh kami, had they already done it? How did one get rid of a fox's curse? No no, got to calm down Shizune told herself. It will all be…

"Hey."

"EEeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Shizune shrieked before passing out, falling to the ground. Beside her, Naruto joined the foxes in flinching away from the sound, looking hopelessly lost.

"I just said 'hey'. What was that all about?"

"Crazy lady is crazy." Suki said solemnly.

"Crazy lady is crazy." Several dozen of her cousins, friends, and various loose acquaintances echoed with equal gravity. Naruto looked away from the foxes.

'_Ok, so that's just a little creepy._'

* * *

"Don't eat me!" Shizune shrieked as she regained consciousness some time later. Hyperventilating, she looked around her, a small part of her mind noting that she'd been moved into the shade…and that there were still tons of foxes around her. "Meep!"

"Hey, don't faint again."

"Save me!" Shizune cried out as she darted to Naruto and hid behind the confused blonde.

"Um, what?"

"Teeth! Lots of teeth!" Naruto twitched.

'_Great._' "Hey guys, could you all transform? She seems a little nervous."

There was a dull roar of 'Haiii!' from the foxes followed by a veritable cloud front of smoke. When it cleared, the sea of fur had become a swarm of children. Shizune goggled. "Oh, they all do that. I thought you were just disguising them with genjutsu."

"Nope." Naruto told her, feeling the older woman relax through his clothes. "It turns out the Fox summon clan is really good at Henge. I've been trying to figure what else they're good at but all I've been able to summon so far is the kits." Naruto looked around, smiling a little. "They're pretty friendly, but it is kind of frustrating not being able to summon one of the older foxes like I've been trying to."

"Perhaps your injuries are interfering with your efforts?" Shizune proposed, recalling why she'd come out here now that she was calm again.

"Nah." Naruto waved off the idea. "I was still sore for a couple hours after I woke up, but I'm fine now."

Shizune narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "Are you sure that you are a genin? Tsunade-sama didn't exactly hold back last night. You should have a few broken bones at least." Naruto shrugged and sat down, giving up on Summoning for the moment. Shizune shifted to make herself more comfortable, sensing that she was going to be here for some time.

"I'm pretty tough, and I heal really quickly. Last night wasn't the first time that I've been sent flying like that." Shizune made an inquisitive noise, but Naruto just shrugged again. "Some wind jutsu, I never did get the name. Anyways, it's not like that'd stop me even if I was hurt. I just can't get enough 'oomph' for some reason."

"There's more to summoning then just using lots of chakra." Shizune told him quietly. "Tsunade-sama once told me that focus and intention were as vital as the energy you put into."

"I can do focus no problem. I've had plenty of practice from using genjutsu. But…" Naruto said slowly, peering at Shizune intently "what do ya mean by 'intention'?"

"Well, just intention!" Shizune told him, feeling a little flustered by the strength of his stare. "There's a reason Summoning contracts are signed in blood. It binds summoner and Clan together on a spiritual level, making a connection between them. That same connection allows humans and summons to understand each other. Since summons follow that connection when they are called, stronger focus and intention prove a better signal for them to follow. That's all there is to it."

"Sounds right to me!" Suki chirped, having snuck up to listen to what her new favorite playmate and Crazy lady where talking about. Naruto sent a look of frustration at the cheerful vixen.

"You couldn't have told me that earlier?" Suki thought about it.

"Scatter!"

In a flurry of movement and yipping, the summoned(and transformed) kits all hot-footed it out of the clearing, leaving behind Inki who gave an exasperated sigh and followed after his sister's scent at a calm, resigned pace. "Good luck with your effort Uzumaki-san. And do be careful, while all of the clan should know of your status by now, some may be less then pleased to meet you." Naruto stared thoughtfully after the kit.

"Excuse me, but could you go now? I'm going to try something now."

"Are you sure you want me to leave, that summons made it sound dangerous for you to keep trying." Naruto gave her a smile so brilliant, it brought a blush to the older girl's cheeks.

"It's ok miss…"

"Shizune." The medic supplied at the prompting.

"Shizune. I'll be fine. Though, if you want to do me a really big favor, could you talk to that Tsunade lady and convince her to come heal old man Hokage? He…he's kinda of the closest thing I have to family except for maybe Teuchi and Ayame. I don't want him to die, not like this."

Responding to the mournful tone in the boy's voice, Shizune gave him a sisterly hug. "Don't worry, I'll do my best. Good luck with your work, Naruto-kun." A woman on a mission, Shizune stood up and purposely strode back towards town. Naruto blinked at the sudden steel in the girl, but did nothing else while he waited for her to get out of the area.

'"_She seems pretty nice. A lot more stable then Tsunade._"

"_Tsunade is obviously an emotionally damaged woman, something you might be able to take advantage of if you end up fighting again._" Naruto scowled at Black Mirage's words. The genin slowly coming to the conclusion that he didn't like sort of thing. Playing with people's hearts and feelings didn't seem right. Even worse, he was afraid that it was changing the way he thought and reacted. Hell, he'd tried to hypnotize a Sannin just to get an answer!

"_You're an assassin boy, you shouldn't hesitant to use any means at your disposal._" Naruto grunted.

"_Some things go too far._" Ignoring the sword's growling rebuttal, Naruto stood up and stepped towards the center of the clearing. Taking a few cleansing breaths, Naruto called up a large amount of his chakra. Instead of immediately attempting summoning like his previous tries, Naruto let the chakra flow freely while he thought.

Focus and intention was what he needed according to Shizune, and she seemed too nice/harmless to lie to him for no reason, so…what? Focus was no problem, just like he'd told her; he'd gotten use to bending all his thoughts towards a goal. But how did someone work on 'intent'? Maybe if he tried goals instead. '_Ok. My goals. I want to be the Hokage. I want to be respected, acknowledged. I want to master Black Mirage's powers. I want the old man to get better._' Ugh, none of those really needed help from a summons did they? He needed something to get past the difficulty of the first big summoning. '_I hope it's just the first big one. This won't be a very good technique if I have to struggle this hard anytime I want to summon someone older then a kit._' Naruto shook his head. Don't get distracted he told himself, got to stay sharp as his sword's edge. Deciding to give summoning another try before he got totally derailed, Naruto bite his thumb and began performing the needed handsigns.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Naruto shouted, slapping his open palm to the earth while repeating to himself '_sharp as a sword_'.

This time, when the usual smoke-like chakra vapor billowed out, it was far larger any of his earlier efforts. Grinning widely, Naruto hopped back to give the arriving summon space. The move didn't keep him from inhaling a bit of the chakra vapor, and the blonde's nose was filled with the gritty scent of a dust storm and a strong undertone of well-kept steel. From the fading smoke came a deep growl and a very large fox. Eight tails lashing violently in agitation, the horse-sized vulpine stalked forward, hazel eyes instantly spotting his young summoner. As the fox approached, Naruto wondered if its dull grey and tan coat was natural or if just summoned foxes could be that color. Clearing his throat, Naruto sketched a quick bow.

"Hello. I'm Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha. What's your name?"

"Ukon." The 8-tailed fox narrowed his eyes. "I take it you're the one Suki and Inki offered our contract to? Not very impressive." Naruto bristled at the dismissive tone to the beast's deep and slightly inhuman voice, warped by his muzzle. Snorting, Ukon seated himself and wrapped his tails around his paws. "Tell me human, why have you summoned me?" The blonde took a deep breath to keep himself calm before speaking.

"I'm learning how to summon." Naruto said bluntly. "You're the first person I summoned that wasn't a kit."

"Oh!" Ukon chuckled sarcastically "I'm deeply honored. How kind of you to bestow such a distinction upon this lowly one."

"Don't have to be a jerk about it." Naruto grumbled quietly. It was not quiet enough though.

"Spare me your commentary human." Ukon barked. "I am not here to be 'entertained'. Since you have called me, I shall be the one to make a final judgement on your status as the Fox Summoner."

"Wait, what? How?" Naruto blurted, reeling from the sudden declaration.

"I'm so glad you asked!" The fox said, lips pulling up into a truly feral grin. "Henge." Waving away the ensuing smoke, Ukon allowed the summoner to look upon his 'other' form. A hair under 5'6" Ukon's human body was all lean muscle and scars. Practically clothed in linen and leather of the same colors as his birth form, Ukon carried no visible weapons but Naruto suspected the graying brunette had a blade somewhere. Cracking his neck, Ukon's grin widened a touch. "In the clan's, I'm known as the 'Razorwind', blade-master of the Fox clan. Inki tells me you fancy yourself a swordsman."

'_Oh…crap._' Naruto thought, feeling a sudden cold sweat afflict him.

With a casual gesture, Ukon either created, drew from hiding, or perhaps summoned a worn and purely functional katana. "Survive to see sunset, and I will stand before the clan and admit you as our Summoner. Fail, and only the crows will find your remains." Casting a sharp look off to one side, Ukon charged Naruto, who swore, and just barely called forth Black Mirage in time to block the fox's first stroke.

* * *

"Come out, come out, little summoner." Tilting his head back, Ukon sniffed the air. Picking up his summoner's trail again, the fox inhaled deeply and then spat a small orb of compressed wind. The attack hit a nearby tree like a cannonball and demolished it, sending a blurred figure flying with a pained grunt. Chuckling, Ukon fired another orb at the figure. Instead of landing a hit though, the attack simply disrupted the blur and soared on to destroy another tree. Ukon smiled. "Ooh, finally figured out how to keep your illusions going through injury?" The transformed fox looked up at the setting sun before laughing. "It only took you most of the day boy!" Whether it was exhaustion or common sense, Naruto didn't respond to the taunt. That hadn't been the case earlier in the day, Ukon thought to himself with a toothy grin. The blonde had started this little test with a great deal of confidence in his ability to take the 8-tailed fox down. That hadn't lasted. For such a young human, Naruto was fairly good. Not a genius, but he showed fine potential and was very determined.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Ukon had decades of experience, the powers of a Kitsune, and was a master swordsman. After a very failed frontal assault, Ukon and Naruto had spent the rest the day playing a twisted game of tag. The Summon was careful to avoid the foxfire techniques and simply destroyed everything else Naruto could throw at him with his superior skills. Naruto, for his part, finally found the limits to the amount of Foxfire he could create trying to pin down Ukon. The wily fox was even faster then the wind he commanded and smart enough to use it to the best effect.

It had been a very humbling and educational day for Naruto. It was the first time he'd ever seen anyone deflect Foxfire with just a sword and a little chakra manipulation. And now, hours into this whole mess, he was utterly exhausted mentally and physically, badly injured, and he had NO CLUE how he was going to survive the ten minutes it would be until the sun finally went down Ukon had him on the ropes and they both knew it.

_Thump_

Naruto winced, looking behind him to see the grinning henge'd Kitsune crouched within easy reach of his plain katana, slung over his shoulder and ready to swing. Groaning, Naruto slumped to the ground, letting an oddly silently Black Mirage vanish into his storage rune. "I hurt…everywhere." Ukon 'hmm'ed in amusement.

"No surprise there given long you've been flopping about trying to avoid me. Still, I suppose I can offer you an ounce acknowledgement. Most humans would have died hours ago, even as half-assed as my efforts have been so far."

"Half-Assed!" Naruto managed to bellow. "I can't even count the number of times you almost killed me today!" Ukon shrugged.

"Kid, I've been fighting with a sword for over a century. I've forgotten more about combat then you'll probably ever learn." Ukon shook his head. "Humans, particularly ninjas, don't really live all that long." Giving a short yawn, Ukon stood up. "Well, it's been fun, but the sun's going down and you're still breathing. Sayonara." Setting his grip, Ukon lifted his sword over his head and prepared to decapitate the blond.

"_**It seems you are about to die host. Fitting that a Kitsune should slay you. How I would enjoy this if not for that Toad-loving shaved rat-in-a-hat and his Seal. Try not to get slaughtered in the next 5 minutes human.**_"

From deep inside came a pulsing rush of wild and unfettered energy. Naruto's eyes went wide and his already racing heart went crazy. As Ukon's blade came down, two things happened simultaneously.

One, a surge of unfiltered youkai exploded from Naruto with enough force to deflect oh say, a sword swung by very a strong man.

And two, a hurriedly formed wall of dirt sprang out of the ground beside the genin and stopped the sword cold.

"What?" Ukon muttered in surprise a moment before a snarling, youkai-covered Naruto ripped through the wall like rice paper and swarmed all over a confused Ukon.

* * *

In a nearby bush, a Shadow Clone of Jiraiya sighed in relief. It'd been hell trying to ignore all those close shaves over the day, but he'd been given strict orders from the original; Don't interfere unless you absolutely have to. Readying himself to dispell and let the original know what the hell was going on, the Jiraiya-clone clapped his hands together in supplication.

"Come on kid, just hold for a few more minutes and it'll be done."

* * *

Growling Ukon straight-armed Naruto to the ground at his feet then outright snarled when the little bastard instantly popped back up in his face with a clawed left-hand swipe. '_Sweet Inari, he's a Jinchuuriki? Why didn't Suki-chan and Inki-kun tell me he was a Jinchuuriki?_' Dismissing his trusty blade, Ukon decided to show the would be acknowledged summoner how a Fox fought.

"HAARRAWWWWR!" Ukon howled, releasing his Henge and resuming his natural form in a steel-scented dervish. Leaping through the fading wind Ukon tackled Naruto, bowling over the shinobi. Ukon went to bite the blond teen's head off but the prone Jinchuuriki slammed a Youkai-empowered fist into the fox's jaw and knocked him off. Slapping his tails on the ground Ukon rolled onto his stomach and lunged at Naruto again, this time watching the Jinchuuriki's hands. Snapping his jaws and lashing with his tails Ukon drove his opponent back and got ready to blast the brat with some of his trademark razor-wind.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ukon paused as the Youkai being produced surged to a full tail's worth. Sniffing the energy coming off Naruto, the 8-tailed fox compared it to his memories in the few moments it took Naruto's aura to fully manifest itself.

'_Is that who I think it is?_'

"Well now, is that the Kyuubi no Kitsune I smell in you?" Naruto snarled, digging his fingers and toes into the dirt for grip. Keeping one on the blond, Ukon eyed the sun. "Defeated by a cliché, 'plucky young hero's last second reversal'. Yasu is going to laugh her ass off about this." Shaking his head, Ukon stood down from his ready stance, confusing Naruto who was a much harder time controlling himself then he expected from past uses of Youkai. "Relax, Summoner, it's over. Even with this power, you are too young and stupid to beat me, but you'd hold me off long enough to win my little challenge. I, Ukon of the Razorwind herby acknowledge Naruto Uzumaki as a true Summoner of the Fox clan. May our enemies pray for the common decency of death." The raging red cloak of power surrounding Naruto began to gutter and die as shock overcame his anger and fear of being killed.

"What…just like that?"

Ukon made a gesture with his tails that Naruto would one day learn was the Kitsune version of a shrug. "Well, I did kick your ass around all day." Naruto growled at that but Ukon ignored him. "Besides, my niece adores you if what Inki says is true." Naruto gaped.

"Holy crap! You're Suki's uncle?" Ukon bared his teeth in an expression that was both playful and menacing.

"Their loving, caring, murderously protective uncle. Get my drift?" Waiting for a nod, Ukon yawned and reached for his chakra. "Enjoy your new privileges Uzumaki, but be sure to do right by the Fox clan. We will not stand to have our pride trampled upon. Speaking of which, summon me again when you are ready to learn how to use a sword right." With a loud pop and puff of smoke, the fox departed for his home.

"Yay…" Naruto said weakly as the last of his Kyuubi-fueled strength faded away and the blond fell over. Waiting until he was sure Naruto was asleep or unconscious, the Jiraiya-clone watching over him walked over to his godson and carefully picked the boy up. Cataloguing the poor boy's injuries, the Shadow clone shook his head.

"Nothing's ever easy for you, is it." Maneuvering his hands into the right seals, the duo vanished in a Shunshin.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" Cried a very familiar(and currently unwanted) female voice, an unexpected shout accompanied by the sound of the casino's door slamming open. Dropping her hand, another looser Tsunade noted bitterly, the Slug Sannin turned to face her apprentice. Tsunade spotted flashing eyes and a set mouth and sighed. Tsunade knew that expression. It always heralded some kind of crusade, destined to annoy the older woman. Best to get it out and over with so she could go back to the game. "Tsunade-sama, we have to talk!"

"About what Shizune?" Tsunade sighed, bracing herself.

"About returning to Konoha and healing Hokage-sama."

Tsunade was well known many circles, infamous in the gambling communities. So when her fist reduced the table beside her into so many splinters, everyone knew what to do.

Within seconds, the casino area was completely empty except for Tsunade and Shizune.

"What ABOUT Konoha, Shizune."

Shizune gulped nervously but held her ground. Tsunade wouldn't hurt her.

Not seriously.

Probably.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I am deeply, utterly ashamed. How could I do this, how could I punish both you and myself by failing to write anything for so long! It's a good thing I don't own a Cat-O-Nine tails(Look it up if you don't know) because I would have to flog myself with it(Also look up flog, I am constantly surprised by how many people don't know this word). Anyways, enough with the chest beating, point is, I finally got on my ass long enough to actually get something going creatively. Hopefully this will open the floodgates and I won't piss away another 6 months. Wish me luck!

P.S. I know we didn't get to the Sannin fight but that's going to be a big deal and the Fox Summons situation took longer then I thought. So, next chapter, I promise.


	14. Chapter 14

**Naruto the Black Blade**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto series in any fashion, including stockholding. The following is a mish-mash of 'borrowed' concepts and mad creativity drawn from the ether of insanity. I do however acknowledge the rules as set down by MrWriterWriter for the purpose of this challenge.

I

"There's nothing uglier then a battle between brothers. On the other hand, there's nothing sexier then a battle between sisters. " -Nigel Blackblade, first known wielder of Black Mirage.

I

"Regular Speech."

"YELLING AND SHOUTING!"

"Heavily Empowered Speech. Yokai wielding Jinchuuriki or Celestial Gate user."

"_Telepathy/mental Speech._"

* * *

It was a testament to the human ability to adapt that Naruto did not scream in fright the next morning when he opened his eyes and wound up staring up into a tawny gaze. "Morning Suki."

"Suki-chan 'cause I'm cute!" The vixen giggled, not moving from where she stood directly over Naruto's face for the second morning in a row.

"Morning Suki-chan." Naruto said, not wanting to upset the deceptively loud(and scary) Suki this early in the day. Pleased, the young Fox Summon decided to get some cuddling in and climbed onto Naruto's chest before curling up. The blonde grunted a bit as she hit a couple of small sore spots from yesterday. '_No surprise there._' Naruto thought to himself as Suki made herself comfortable. Even though he normally fully healed from his wounds overnight, since becoming a ninja he'd learned that a big enough beating would actually leave some lasting marks. A level of damage Ukon had had no trouble delivering. Naruto shuddered. "Your uncle is kinda mean Suki-chan."

"Mommy says he's just grumpy because she can kick his butt even though he's older then her." Naruto grinned just a little.

"Wow, your mom must be super powerful or something. Maybe I should meet her and ask for some advice."

"That would actually be a good idea Naruto-san. Now that Uncle Ukon has had time to inform the clan of your confirmation it behooves you to present yourself to mother. She is the leader of the Fox clan after all."

Wide-eyed, Naruto twisted his head to look at Inki who still lounging on his pillow-bed. "Your mom is the boss?" The blond blurted. "Really?"

"Of course she is. Why do you think Suki and I were chosen to search out a summoner? Mother wished for us to have a learning experience in dealing with and judging humans and when it was pointed out that we have not had a summoner in ages she elected to kill two birds with one stone."

"Oh." Naruto said quietly. "Is your mom nice?"

Inki coughed uncomfortably as Suki giggled happily. "Mommy is the nicest person in the world when she isn't scary!"

"Mother…is odd." Inki said slowly, clearly trying to find the best words to explain. "You simply have to meet her to understand."

"Ok." Naruto agreed, wondering what exactly the fox meant by that and why Black Mirage was laughing in the back of his thoughts. "_If you're awake, then we've got something to talk about._"

"_You'll find out what they mean later, do I really have to explain it to you?_"

"_What? No. I'm talking about yesterday at the end of Ukon's trial. Why did I feel all crazy when I used the Kyuubi's chakra? It's never felt like that before._"

"_Because you've never felt the Kyuubi's unfiltered strength before. You were being thrown around like a doll and those foxes are surprisingly resistant to my powers. I suspect even those little ones notice when I do something even if they are not entirely capable of seeing through it. Given the situation, I decided to see what your imprisoned Demon Lord could do for you._"

"_I felt really powerful, but all I could think about tearing Ukon apart._"

"_The physical boost IS more then what I've been able to arrange but you are correct - it definitely alters your perception wildly._"

"Na-Ru-To? Helllllloooooo?" Naruto was started from his mental conversation at Suki's insistent calls.

"Ah, sorry Suki-chan, lost in thought."

"No worries Naruto-kun! You can make it up to me with lunch." Naruto blinked.

"Don't you mean breakfast?"

"It is a little before noon actually." Inki informed him. "You have slept quite late to recover from your injuries."

"Foooooooooodddd!" Suki moaned piteously, pleading with shiny eyes. Groaning, Naruto shifted Suki off his chest and onto the futon with a muttered 'fine' and dragged himself around the room, getting dressed. Once ready to face the world, Naruto headed to the door, Suki and Inki falling in behind him. The innkeeper wasn't exactly happy about the animals being at the table but kept his mouth shut upon seeing the Konoha headband. Ninja were weird and unstable and it just wasn't worth pissing them off. It was for this reason that the man ushered his staff into hiding when a panicked looking woman in a kimono holding a clothed pig burst into the dining area and ran straight for the young ninja. Hopefully they wouldn't destroy the place. Filing claims for ninja-based damage with the insurance companies was always a pain in the ass.

* * *

"Naruto! NARUTO! Where are you, I need help!"

Shocked, the genin watched in stunned silence as the younger of the two woman he'd meet yesterday kicked in the inn's door screaming for him.

"Wha…?"

"Hi Crazy Lady!" Suki called out in greeting, which let Shizune immediately home in on the small group and rush over.

"NARUTO!" Panting, the medic crashed into the table in her hurry and nearly fell. Catching herself with the hand not holding Ton-Ton she gasped. "I'm so glad I found you Naruto. I need your help right now!"

"Um, why?" Naruto asked dully, getting the sense that today was going to be even worse then yesterday.

"It's horrible!" Shizune cried. "Mistress Tsunade and I were woken up this morning by Jiraiya-sama who wished for us to come and see to you after some sort of accident he claimed you'd had yesterday." Naruto gave a small cough. "Tsunade-sama was still upset my own conversation with her last night and she and Jiraiya-sama began arguing loudly. Loud enough to be heard on the streets it seemed because not 10 minutes after Jiraiya-sama arrived…Oto shinobi attacked."

"WHAT?" Naruto roared as he shot to his feet, Inki and Suki yelping as they took unexpected spills from the table being knocked over. "Those assholes are here?" Shizune blinked at the fury in Naruto's voice and expression, suddenly thinking that maybe Jiraiya-sama's demand that she locate and bring Naruto might be for more then retreating as a group.

"Um, yes." Shizune told him. "We have to hurry now. According to Jiraiya-sama, he and Tsunade-sama are being attacked by a full platoon!" Swearing a blue streak, Naruto snatched up the two foxes in his arms and raced for the door of the inn.

"Let's go!"

"Wait!" Shizune shouted as she ran after him. "You don't know which way to go!"

* * *

"Doryuu Heki(Earth Style Wall)." Jiraiya snapped out, bouncing Tsunade off his shoulder for a brief moment to free up his hands. Calling on his experience, he formed the technique's rough earthen walls in the form of a wedge to shelter Jiraiya and a nearly comatose Tsunade from a small rain of weapons. This, Jiraiya thought as he re-secured Tsunade, was not going well. When the Toad Sage had arrived at Tsunade's rented room(found with a tracking toad starting from the bar and grill), she'd already been worked up enough to tear into on him on sight. Jiraiya, never one to take an undeserved beating laying down, shouted back and the two Sannin quickly began arguing childishly. Neither of them had quite yet figured out where they were going with this spat when some amateur with more enthusiasm then brains lobbed a rock with an Explosive Note wrapped around it through the hotel room window. A quick kawarimi out got them away from the blast, only to get attacked by a full platoon of Oto shinobi. 16 Chuunin and Jounin all hell-bent on killing him and capturing Tsunade. He thought they wanted her alive anyways, they were certainly far more hesitant to throw lethal attacks at her then him and Shizune. 'Course they could just be ignoring her since she froze up after a lucky shot scratched her. You never could really tell with the usual brand of idiots Orochimaru tended to gather up. Deciding to gather what reinforcements were available(and get Shizune, who was NOT a real combat medic, out of the line of fire) Jiraiya sent Tsunade's apprentice to go to his and Naruto's hotel room and bring the blonde. Altogether, this meant defending himself and Tsunade against 16 B/C-ranked opponents with one-hand.

It was an interesting challenge to say the least.

"Mizudeppou no jutsu(Water Pistol technique)!" Snarled a voice from the other side of the stone wedge, before said shelter vanished in a blast of water. Jiraiya growled and brought his right hand up to his left. Holding his teammate still with his left arm, Jiraiya awkwardly formed the one-handed seals for a Kawarimi, barely pulling it off while carrying the shaking medic.

'_Why couldn't you have gotten over your hemophobia Tsunade-hime? Its been years since Dan died._' Slapping a kunai away, Jiraiya noticed something. '_Crap. There's only 15 of them here. Please don't tell me there's even more of these little shits that he's gone to fetch. Guess it's time to thin the ranks a bit._' Forming a practiced hand sign, Jiraiya pursed his lips. "Gamayudan(Toad Oil Projectile)." Hosing down the nearest couple Oto ninja, Jiraiya ignored the jeers from the baby ninja as he sprayed a line of oil over to his feet.

The Oto shinobi all shut up fast though when Jiraiya created a streak of fire with a snap of his fingers and let it drop.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama! We have located the target, as well as the primary obstacle."

Orochimaru stirred at the cry, eerie golden eyes focusing on the nameless minion genuflecting in front of him. "I already knew that Tsunade was here fool. Jiraiya though…they are together?"

"Undoubtedly." Kabuto said smugly, adjusting his glasses in an equally arrogant gesture.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama. As instructed when they spent an extended period in each others presence we attacked. I was sent to inform you of the situation." Biting back a hiss of pain, Orochimaru rose to his feet from the crude stone stool Kabuto had constructed at their camp.

"Come Kabuto. It seems we won't be bothering with the business route."

* * *

"Almost…there!" Shizune puffed, the desperate run having left her almost completely out of breath. Naruto nodded, already hearing the sounds of a shinobi battle ahead.

"Charge!" Suki cheered from Naruto's right shoulder. On his other shoulder Inki silently crouched down, waiting to spring. The male twin had no intention of attacking though. He and his sister were far too young and inexperienced for a full scale ninja battle. Suki, however, tended to get swept up in the moment and it was left up to him to drag her to safety. As the small group made their final approach Naruto drew out Black Mirage and made himself and the two foxes invisible. Shizune barely noticed having already turned the last corner out of the city and into the open grassy area that surrounded Tanzaku.

"Tsunade-sama!" The brunette medic cried, spotting her mentor lying wide-eyed and trembling on Jiraiya's shoulder.

"About time you got back!" Jiraiya bellowed. "Catch!" Swatting another damn shuriken away Jiraiya hauled back and threw Tsunade like a sack of potatoes to her apprentice. Cracking his neck and grinning, the Toad Sage chuckled evilly. "Alright you little Sound punks, let's rumble!" Wisely, the remaining 9 Oto shinobi fell into a defensive formation in the face of a vastly superior and now unencumbered opponent.

Ignoring the sounds of Jiraiya launching a furious assault on Orochimaru's troops, Shizune frantically examined her teacher. Happily, the Slug Sannin had nothing worse then a few shallow cuts. Utterly ignorable for most ninja, but for Tsunade…Shizune bit her lower lip. '_Tsunade-sama, I know you are still hurting over my uncle's death, but be strong. He wouldn't have wanted you to suffer like this!_'

"Hi Crazy Lady, what's wrong with Big-booby Lady?" Shizune twitched, wrenched from her melodramatic thoughts by a somewhat familiar chirpy voice. Glancing away from her mentor Shizune spotted a pair of young foxes, the larger of the two struggling to drag the smaller.

"Oh, hello you two." Shizune said tersely, extended a hand to heal Tsunade's small wounds. Once the wounds were closed and the blood cleaned away, the blonde healer usually started to come around and the younger brunette hoped that this time would prove no different. "Did Naruto send you out of the fight?"

"No. I did." Inki informed her after releasing the scruff of his sister's neck. "Suki and I are not combatants, though my sister disagrees."

"I'm scrappy!" Suki told the medic cheerfully as she sidled closer to sniff Tsunade. "Big-Booby Lady smells sad; why's that?"

"Tsunade-sama suffers from hemophobia." Shizune told the vixen absently, finishing the healing and starting on cleaning the blood off.

"But that wouldn't make her sad." Suki argued, now openly sniffing unmoving blonde.

"It was caused by tragedy not trauma!" Shizune snapped. "Why does it matter?"

"Because!" Suki declared "Mind Doctor Pretty Vixen Suki is on the case! Inki, scrub up and prepare to assist, we're going in!" With a pop the vixen transformed into her human guise, clad in a full set of scrubs complete with mask and gloves. Beside her, Inki groaned but also transformed into a matching outfit. "Here we go, dive, dive!" With that, Suki turned translucent and dove into Tsunade, vanishing.

"What?" Shizune shrieked, turning slightly to stare at Inki in shock.

"Do not worry Shizune-san." Inki stated as he also turned translucent and began sinking into the Slug Sannin's body. "Despite her flippancy, my sister and I generally take our gift quite seriously. After all, nepotism is not the _only_ reason we were chosen to select a summoner for the entirety of the Fox clan…"

Shizune gaped as the second fox finished disappearing into her teacher.

"…what?"

"You seem so shocked Shizune-san, is it possible you detected me? No, I doubt that someone of your skills would be able to do so. So, tell me, what has you so surprised?" The brunette tensed, slowly turning her head to face the source of the voice. Smiling creepily at some bit of personal amusement was a man in his late teens or perhaps early 20's. Tall and clad in a layered outfit of dark colors, the bespectacled man was not visibly armed but Shizune truly doubted that was the case given that the man's grey hair was kept out of his eyes by a Oto headband.

"Who are you, what do you want?"

"Kabuto Yakushi. And I'm here to take Tsunade to my master. We're not going to have any trouble are we?"

Shizune snarled angrily, spinning while still crouched and flipped up the sleeves on her kimono, revealing a poisoned chamber senbon-launcher. Yanking the strings attached to the launcher, Shizune fired them at the other ninja. Surprised by her quick reaction, Kabuto hastily spun on his heel and snapped up the guard on the back his glove into the line of fire. This protected him from most of the needles, but one sank into his hip.

"Ha! Better run off and get yourself some medical attention or else!"

"Why?" Kabuto asked her cheerfully, hopping back as he lifted a hand covered in green medical chakra to the wound and began extracting the poison. His other hand drew a curved kunai from inside his clothes as his smile turned downright spine-chilling. "We're just getting started."

Shizune stifled a curse and began forming the seals to Doku Kiri(Poison Mist). Most of her offensive techniques revolved around poison of some kind. Having a medic-nin as her opponent was…not good.

Unnoticed by either of the fighting medics was the fact that Tsunade had begun twitching.

* * *

Snorting contemptuously Jiraiya snatched a flash-bang out of the air and smothered it in his hand, using chakra to keep himself from being hurt as it went off. Even the most basic of ninja tools were dangerous in the right hands but these brats were too panicked to use good tools properly. It was sad really, how easily this younger generation fell apart in the face of actual danger. Hell, when he and his now distant teammates had been faced with the impossible task of taking on Hanzo the Salamander, they'd only fought together better then they ever had before. Granted, Hanzo had still kicked the shit out of them, but the point remained!

"Pathetic…" hissed a voice from the past "must I do everything myself?"

"Orochimaru!" Jiraiya growled, whirling to face his old teammate. Putting his 9 opponents and their returning companion to his back was bad form but honestly together they were less dangerous then Orochimaru by himself. "You're looking rather pathetic yourself." Jiraiya smirked just a little as Orochimaru responded with an expression that was half silent snarl and half grimace of pain. Sensei had really done a number on old Orochi the Toad Sage noted. Even with the medical attention Orochimaru certainly had access to, he was still wrapped up in bandages and wearing splints. Injured, but still dangerous, Jiraiya knew his former teammate too well to think otherwise. "I take it your pet healers are too incompetent to fix you up? Had to come get Tsunade-hime to kiss your boo-boos?" The Snake Sannin did not take the taunt very well.

"Kill him!" Orochimaru screamed, before his throat bulged and the pale-skinned man spat a kunai at blinding speeds. Jiraiya twitched, ready to defend himself but the weapon wasn't aimed at him.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelped in pain from where he stood next to one of Orochimaru's underlings, Black Mirage pulled back to swing. With a ripple Naruto faded into sight as the Oto shinobi scattered, slinging weapons. Working Mirage Naruto managed to avoid or block the incoming weapons. Meanwhile, the blond clamped his teeth on the handle the kunai Orochimaru had spat at him and tugged it out of the swallow groove it had made when it lodged in his collarbone. Eyes tearing in pain, Naruto managed to spot two of the Oto ninja moving to support Orochimaru as the other 8 closed in on him. "Craaaaap!" Naruto moaned, wrapping himself in invisibility as he leapt away.

"Kai!" One of the ninja called out, projected his chakra outward. His stealth technique disrupted, Naruto called up Foxfire and hurled it at the shinobi who'd revealed him.

"Mizurappa(Violent Water Wave)." Shot from a side angle, the Suiton technique enveloped the Foxfire and brought it to the ground. The flames flickered and burnt for a few moments longer before going out.

"Oh come on!" Naruto shouted, hurling more Foxfire and trying to shut down the Suiton user with an illusion all the while backing away.

"Kai." Snapped off the first ninja as a another man rushed through seals.

"Doro Gaeshi(Mud Overturn)!" He called out as he slapped his palms on the ground, hastily forming a wall of topsoil in front of the Foxfire.

"Suiton: Joushou Kanketsusen(Water technique: Rising Geyser)!" Called out two voices, followed by the ground rumbling. Jumping away at the sound Naruto avoided the worst of the attack but was still sent tumbling by the eruption of water as the Oto ninja tapped into Tanzaku's water table. Feeling a sharp jolt of fresh pain from his injured shoulder as he landed, Naruto groaned and scrambled to his feet, barely avoiding a couple of shuriken.

'_Man, I don't remember them working together like this during the invasion!_'

"_They're quite the well-organized team, aren't they? And they don't seem surprised by anything you do. Almost seems like they were picked out to fight you, doesn't?_"

"What's with the cheap tactics you pricks!" Naruto roared he hurled even more Foxfire and tried to cast illusions under the cover it provided.

"Researching a future opponent is hardly a cheap tactic you snot-nosed twerp! Suikyouren(Water Drill)." The coursing water from the earlier geyser jumped and a large amount of it poured upward, forming a horizontal waterspout with a sharpened base. Hollering, Naruto scrambled madly away from his attackers as he started calling up large amounts of his chakra. Very large amounts.

* * *

_Blood…dripping blood everywhere. She could smell it, feel it, taste it even, the metallic flavor seeming to coat her tongue and mouth._

"_Dan!" She cried, tears smearing the crimson splotches on her face. "Please don't leave me!" Her lover gurgled weakly, choking on his own blood as he tried to comfort the woman struggling to save him. Unable to speak, the dying the man tried to let his love for her simply shine through his gaze as his trembling hand stroked her face one last before finally, all life left him. "DAAAAAANNNNN!" Collapsing, she wept over her lover's body, clutching him tight, as if her embrace would return the light to his eyes._

"_Aww, no wonder you're so sad Big-Boobies. You must have really loved him."_

_Stunned, Tsunade looked up from Dan's body. The voice was vaguely familiar but the fact that anyone had spoken at all was stunning. She'd been all alone with Dan dead; who was intruding on this unfading nightmare?_

"_Tsunade-sama, we are here to assist you. As much as we are capable of."_

"_Assist…me?"_

_From out of the misty edges of her painful memories came a pair of small foxes. Glinting, piercing eyes belied their true nature, as if their presence here did not do so. "Yes." Spoke a male voice from the larger fox. "My sister has decided that she wishes to help you overcome your blood issue. We may not be able to completely cure you, but it should help."_

"_Naruto-kun only has room in his life for one crazy pretty princess and that's my corner! Let the operation begin!" With an unspoken signal, the two foxes began to sing in perfect, soothing harmony._

* * *

"What's the matter Orochimaru? Getting so weak you need your little butt buddies help to face me?" No ninja fight was complete without a little banter between combatants and he and his former teammate had so much to banter about.

"Think of them as strategic assets Jiraiya, useful and disposable. Something a fool like you wouldn't understand."

Jiraiya smirked. "Who's the fool who got his ass beat by sensei…again." The snake sannin shook for several moments before exploding in a rage.

"I would have slain sensei without doubt if that babbling, overgrown gorilla hadn't interfered! It is his fault my wounds refuse to heal! And once I have forced Tsunade to repair the damage, I will return to Konoha and tear him limb from limb!"

Making a mental note to inform Gai of his new detractor, Jiraiya shifted his posture. "Got to get through me to go to Konoha Orochimaru."

Wearing a smirk of his own, Orochimaru thrust his arms forward. From the depths of his sleeves came dozens of green and black serpents, fangs bared. The Jounin on Orochimaru's left held out his hands and quietly applied a Raiton technique to his Kage's Senei Ta Jashu(Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands). The Jounin on Orochimaru's right vanished in a blur of speed as the attack bore down on a disinterested Jiraiya.

"Karyuu Endan(Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)." The Toad Sage called out calmly as he sped through the fire technique and hurled it into the oncoming attack, burning the snakes to cinders. The unnamed Jounin who had vanished, reappeared behind Jiraiya and attempted to stab the sannin's spine with a kunai. Instead, Jiraiya spun and used his greater reach to smash the man in the face and send him flying back. "You're too loud and too slow to try that on me, whelp." A moment later Jiraiya vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving behind a torso-sized rock that was cut half as Orochimaru attempted to finish his opponent when was distracted.

"Behind you Orochimaru-sama!"

Rotating his torso so that it was facing behind himself, Orochimaru extended his Kusanagi like a gleaming spear, forcing Jiraiya to abandon his jutsu and leap away. Straightening his body to all face one direction, the Snake Sannin charged the other man, Kusanagi shrinking to a more manageable size as it was dropped into Orochimaru's hand. Swearing, Jiraiya frantically dodged the legendary blade and the kunai thrown by the Oto Jounins. Scowling, the white-haired shinobi allowed one of the small blades flying around to slice open a shallow wound across his palm before flying through a short series of handsigns.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu(Summoning Technique)!"

_CLANG!_

Orochimaru hissed angrily, seeing his sword blocked by the bracer of a man-sized toad. Momentarily, the Snake-summoner wondered what metal the Toad clan made their armor out of to block Kusanagi with no noticeable damage before opening his mouth and sic'ing a snake on the smirking Toad. Croaking, the toad ducked and hopped back, drawing a stout clever blade. With a sickening cough, Orochimaru spat the snake on the armed toad and rushed at Jiraiya again as the Konoha ninja finished putting down one of his minions. Hopping back for some room to maneuver, Jiraiya met the rush head on. Orochimaru's surviving 'strategic asset' started a jutsu but the summoned toad lunged at him, hurling the now dead snake at the man's hands. Driving Jiraiya back for a moment, Orochimaru stretched his neck out to inhuman lengths and bit the toad's shoulder, pumping venom into the animal from one of the surgically implanted poison sacs he'd designed over the years. Ribbiting frantically as the poison started burning through his veins, the warrior toad dispelled himself to seek healing from one of his clan mates. Retracting his neck Orochimaru saw his other assistant minion fail to kawarimi away from a Rasengan. Scowling, the Snake Sannin decided to up the ante. Shaking his left sleeve upward, Orochimaru dragged his right thumb over one of his needle-like canine teeth and then smeared the resulting blood over the serpent tattoo covering his left forearm before his palm slammed into the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Jiraiya jumped back with a curse as a building-sized cloud of smoke was created by the summoning. '_Kami…that's bad. There aren't many summons in any clan that big. It almost certainly means…_'

"OROCHIMARU!" Manda, leader of the Snake Summons Clan, roared angrily as his thrashing dispersed the chakra smoke around him. "Why have you summoned me! I see no sacrifices!"

"I will double your normal offerings," Orochimaru told the boss summons "if only you fight now."

"Fight what?" Manda snorted.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Bellowed a hatefully familiar voice in front of Snake leader.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Shouted another voice in a more distant section of the battlefield. Manda ignored the second voice, his full attention on the toad in front of him.

"You!" Manda hissed. "Orochimaru, I will accept my sacrifices later. Be sure to have them for me next time you call me or I will eat you instead."

"Well, well…" murmured the Toad Boss Gamabunta around his smoldering pipe as he quickly took in his surroundings "if it ain't my old 'buddy' Manda. Take it that's why you bothered summoning me Jiraiya?"

"You got it old friend." Jiraiya called out, setting himself on the tough toad's head. "I can't think of anyone else in your clan better off fighting against Manda."

Gamabunta chuckled, drawing his blade. "Damn straight. Time to finally make myself a snakeskin wallet."

Roaring, Manda slithered/charged straight at his hated rival.

* * *

Funneling the vast amounts of chakra he'd called up to his hands, Naruto formed the hand seals and bit through the skin on one of his fingers as he hopped away from his attackers and slapped the hand not holding Black Mirage to the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. At the shout, his 8 opponents hesitated. The Summoning technique had not been on the dossier Kabuto had provided. When had the Konoha ninja signed a contract and what…oh.

"Jiraiya must have let the brat sign the Toad contract! Watch for oil and water techniques."

"Who are you calling a Toad?" From the plume of chakra smoke came a very handsome woman. Though only 5' 2", she was NOT a woman to be overlooked. Possessing a slim and athletic figure, she exuded a primal grace with every step. Stopping half-way between the Oto shinobi and Naruto, the mysterious woman put her hands on her hips and narrowed her golden-amber eyes at the Oto ninja. "Which one of you punks called me a toad?"

"Um, are you Inki and Suki's mom?" Naruto's confusion was understandable. Most mothers he encountered were dressed more modestly and fuller-figured from childbirth. The woman he'd summoned looked to be in her very late teens and dressed in a boy's t-shirt and shorts. Her outfit, slim figure, and her pixie-cut dirty-blonde gave her a tomboyish air that didn't mesh with Naruto's concept of a mother. As he puzzled it over, the woman turned, eyed him, and then smiled brightly.

"Oooh, you must be Naruto! Inki-kun didn't tell me you were such a little cutie. And yes, I'm Yasu, their mom. I take it these ill-mannered jerks are why you summoned me?"

In the background, something exploded violently, pieces of turf and pebbles falling around them.

"Fuck it." The Oto ninja in charge said. "Kill them both!" The collective men all threw weapons or ninjutsu at the command. Rolling her eyes Yasu sped out of the way as Naruto quickly used Shunshin to escape the deadly barrage.

"Meet and greet later." Yasu decided. "Ass kicking now. Come on cutie!" Whooping in delight, the Fox clan matriarch charged the Oto ninja with impressive speed, catching them off-guard and landing an organ-liquefying punch on the Jounin who'd called for her death. Yasu fearlessly pressed her initiative, tearing into her opponents with an unholy glee. Behind her, Naruto gaped for a bit before shaking his head and started supporting her with illusions and Foxfire. With the Kitsune matriarch in their faces, the Oto team couldn't disrupt him very well and the boy and Kitsune began tearing the remaining enemies to pieces.

In some cases, literally.

* * *

"Aaaghhhh!" Shizune screamed as Kabuto backhanded her, sending the kunoichi spinning to the ground. Lazily, the bespectacled man toed the girl, not at all worried about retaliation. Whatever her skills as a healer, she hadn't been much of an opponent the Oto-nin mused as he drew back his foot and slammed it into her free-floating ribs getting a wheezy and breathless cry of agony. "Ah well," Kabuto murmured "time to finish this." Drawing one of his personalized hook-tip kunai, the battle medic prepared to finish off his victim while keeping an eye on the intensifying fight between his master and Jiraiya. Crouching to slit the kunoichi's throat Kabuto was stopped from delivering the coup de grâce when a half-grown fox frantically bolted between the two ninja, her tail puffed up in fright and eyes wide as the vixen scrambled over Shizune and then slipped through Kabuto's legs on her way out of the area. As Kabuto's quirked an eyebrow in bemusement a second and slightly larger fox repeated the mad dash. This one looked less concerned, but was still moving as fast as its legs could move it. The battle-medic's mild curiosity about why an animal would _approach_ a shinobi battle was solved when the second fox muttered 'A distraction!' as he shot past Kabuto's ankles. "A summons? What are they running from? The only thing over there is…" Kabuto's head snapped up with a look of shock and horror in time to see a deceptively dainty fist plow into his face with all the force of an avalanche.

The earth and heavens blended into one dizzying streak of color as Kabuto tumbled helplessly across the battlefield until a boulder 'kindly' stopped him dead in his tracks. Barely noticing that his stomach was messily emptying itself, Kabuto began frantically gathering chakra for one of his finest techniques. '_Kami! A decade and a half out of action and Tsunade-san seems to still have her legendary strength. That single blow broke at least a dozen bones, gave me a concussion, and burst an eardrum!_' Clinging to the now-cracked boulder, Kabuto dragged himself to his feet as he worked to get himself in fighting shape.

"DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Roared a murderous female voice as a slim hand clamped onto his wrist with more strength then tempered steel. Cursing the ruptured eardrum for letting Tsunade charge up to him without being heard, Kabuto began his greatest medical technique, Inyu Shometsu(Secret Healing Injury Destruction). As Tsunade drew back her fist to start mercilessly beating her trapped and weakened target, Kabuto reminded himself that ninja did NOT whimper or cry.

It was close thing still.

* * *

Seeing the Serpent King going for a straight charge, Jiraiya started a series of hand seals. "Gamabunta, oil!"

"On it." The Toad Boss replied, cheeks bulging as the summon used his throat as a pressure chamber.

"**GAMAYU ENDAN!**(Toad Oil Fireball!)" the two bellowed together. The resulting flame resembled nothing so much as a solar flare; an unstoppable swirling column of fiery power. Hot enough to melt rock, the Gamayu Endan burned for several seconds, utterly devastating a large swath of the area. "Did we get him, 'bunta?" Jiraiya called out, shielding his eyes against the intense light given off by the remains of their combo technique. In the hellish swath left behind, Jiraiya thought he could see a tattered silhouette.

"No." Gamabunta growled, drawing his custom blade. "Manda is too damn slick to die that easily." Beneath the Toad's feet the ground began to rumble even as the fires of their combo attack died down enough to revealed a huge, hastily shed snake skin. "Knew it!" Gamabunta brought his blade to bare as the ground split open and revealed…Manda's tail. "Oh fuck…" Gamabunta groaned as the top half Manda popped out behind the Toad, giving the Serpent King a clear shot at his enemie's back. Hissing in glee, Manda snapped his jaws open and descended to bite. On the top of Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya spun on the spot and grinned wickedly, holding a red and black scroll still smoking from its unsealing.

"Fire in the hole slinky!" Jiraiya howled as he chucked the scroll into Manda's open mouth. Flipping off the snake summon as Gamabunta leapt away from Manda, Jiraiya watched expectantly as the demolition scroll he'd thrown burnt down its minimum10 second delay. Desperately, Manda lashed his head side to side, nearly dislodging Orochimaru. Knowing he was running out of time, Manda quickly resorted to desperate measures. Throwing his head so violently it actually pitched Orochimaru off, Manda flexed his internal musculature and vomited. The resulting spray of bile and half-digested meat managed to force the demo scroll out. As soon as it was out of his mouth, Manda dove head first into the ground and tried to burrow away from the blast. He did not completely succeed. Screeching in pain as the exploding demo scroll cut up his back, Manda swore to himself that one day he WAS going to eat that Toad-loving fool.

"Teppoudama(Bullet)!" Despite the height of his fall off of Manda, Orochimaru was not particularly stunned by the impact. Upon hearing the Toad Boss call out his technique the Snake Sannin body switched out of his landing area a moment before the enormous water sphere flattened it. Hiding in a heap of dirt piled up from large-scale combat was…humiliating but he needed a moment figure how to best deal with Gamabunta. A straight shot to the heart with the Kusanagi would do it if he could get the summons to hold still long enough. Ninjutsu was unlikely given that few were actually large enough or powerful enough to put down Gamabunta before the toad retaliated.

'_Damn Manda. Where is he hiding?_'

With a furious shriek of hate and rage, an injured and maddened Manda burst out of hiding underneath Gamabunta and wrapped his length around Toad Boss, attempting to burying his fangs in the amphibian's throat. Startled enough to actually let out a croak, Gamabunta managed, just barely, to wedge his blade in the Serpent King's jaws as the two mansion-sized summons went tumbling from the impact. Forced to use both hands or get screwed by leverage, Gamabunta instantly realized his perilous position. "JIRAIYA! QUICK, STOP THIS BASTARD FROM CRUSHING ME!" Swearing at the sight of Manda's coils tightening around his long-time summons chest, Jiraiya moved from where he'd been thrown to interfere but was intercepted by a thoroughly battered but amused Orochimaru.

"Come now 'old friend', lets let them settle their grudges themselves. You and I have a battle of our own to finish." Grinning evilly, Orochimaru swung the Kusanagi at Jiraiya and mentally commanded it to extend, forcing the white-haired ninja back despite already being more then twenty feet away.

'_Damn!_' Jiraiya thought as he used a Rasengan to deflect Orochimaru's next few swings. '_Not good. 'Bunta can't hold Manda off forever._' Letting the Rasengan fade Jiraiya sped through a series of hand signs that made Orochimaru narrow his eyes in suspicion. "Akuma no Seikitsui(Devil's Spine)!" With a faint rumble 7 spires of rock shot from the ground and impaled Orochimaru, smashing their tips together to form a cone with its point buried in the Snake Sannin's chest. The white-skinned ninja gasped painfully for a moment before collapsing in a heap of mud. "Damn. Old Snakey has gotten REALLY good with Doro Bunshin(Mud Clone)."

With a chorus of angry hisses, dozens of large snakes sprouted from the ground around Jiraiya and moved to entangle and poison the Toad Sage.

"Hari Jizou(Underworld Guardian Spikes)!" As Jiraiya's hair expanded and hardened, the snakes screeched and swiftly retreated. Releasing his hold on the jutsu the Sage leapt away from the spot in time to dodge Orochimaru's next attack. It was some sort of poison gas attack. Typical Orochimaru. "No more fucking around. Yomi Numa(Swamp of the Underworld)!" All around Jiraiya, the earth abruptly converted into a hellish swamp that extended some 10 meters beyond the Toad Sage. Far too close for comfort, Orochimaru burst out of the ground and frantically slithered to freedom, barely keeping ahead of the growing death-trap. Slowing his chakra output to a trickle when it became obvious that Yomi Numa wasn't going to catch the other ninja, Jiraiya growled. Even this hurt, Orochimaru was as slippery as ever. Unfortunately, Jiraiya specialized in warfare combat and seals. One wasn't particularly suited to trying to pin down someone like the wily snake, and Orochimaru knew enough about seals to either counter or start running if Jiraiya started something. '_And worse, 'Bunta still needs me. Ok kami, if I've got a favor owed, now would be a pretty good time to cash it in!_'

"Ku ku ku…how weak you've become Jiraiya if you still cannot defeat me even in my…"

**CON-OCK!**

Making a sound that brought to mind two coconuts being cracked together, a savagely beaten man with silver hair and dark torn clothes was hurled into a snide Orochimaru with enough force to send both men flying. Watching the two tumble a distance, Jiraiya turned a bemused express towards the heavens. "Thank you, much appreciated!" Spinning, Jiraiya launched himself to Gamabunta's aid even as a banshee war-cry shrieking Tsunade landed next to her traitor teammate hard enough to crater the earth and send both Orochimaru and Kabuto flying again. Starting one of his truly nasty ninjutsu, Jiraiya tried very _very_ hard not to think about the fact that the last time he'd heard a sound like that from Tsunade she'd torn a whole town apart and sent him to the hospital for 3 months.

* * *

RAGE/HATE/SORROW. For Tsunade, it was impossible to tell which emotion was ruling her right now. Countless thoughts and memories swirled relentlessly in her head, making it difficult to think. Despite the savage migraine resulting from conflicting forces locking horns in her brainpan, Tsunade did have one piece of clarity to drive her; Orochimaru must DIE! Venting a wordless shriek Tsunade charged her former teammate, ignoring the near-dead man groaning to one-side. Seeing the rampaging battle-medic bearing down on him, Orochimaru began retreating as fast he could manage with his battered body. Knowing he was losing ground to the healthier woman, Orochimaru brought his hands up and started a jutsu. Completing it, Orochimaru spun and fired.

"Go Hibana Yubi no jutsu(Five-Spark Finger technique)." Orochimaru hissed, thrusting out both hands to aim the small bolts even as he winced at the movement. Blinded by her seething emotions, Tsunade did not realize what her opponent was doing until it was too late. The Legendary Sucker instinctively raised her arms to defend herself but it did not stop the 10 'sparks' from slamming home on her chest. Twitching violently, Tsunade staggered to stop and then collapsed. Smirking, Orochimaru stalked towards the kunoichi. "Do you like it Tsunade-chan? A little something I 'acquired' from a Kumo shinobi. Individually, the sparks cause mild damage and convulsions. All at once, the effects are…enhanced." Raising his sword Orochimaru prepared to deliver the killing stroke. "Good-bye Tsunade."

"Good-bye Orochimaru." Tsunade responded quietly as her hand shot out, clamped onto the Snake summoner's ankle and ripped his feet from underneath him. Ignoring the sulfurous curses spewing from Orochimaru's lips, Tsunade gave a quarter turn to her side and whipped the now-screaming man over and across, slamming him face-first into the ground. Ignoring the deafening, ground-shaking roar of pain coming from the fighting Summon Bosses, Tsunade scrambled to her feet. Maintaining her grip, the Senju princess started bashing Orochimaru into every hard surface she could reach, not stopping, not giving him the chance to retaliate.

But even being thrown around like a rag doll Orochimaru could still plan and think.

It took some effort to bring his hand to his mouth with the centrifugal force Tsunade was producing but Orochimaru managed. Sinking his teeth into his hand the Snake Sannin waited for that half-moment between swings when the force was lessened and then sent the blood from wound flying towards Tsunade…which had absolutely no effect. Controlling the urge to gape in shock, Orochimaru rapidly retook stock of the situation given this new and rather infuriating information. His chakra reserves were at 20% and going down fast thanks to the internal reinforcement needed to deal with his injuries new and old. Those same wounds were taxing his inhuman(literally) constitution to the point of collapse. It was perhaps, Orochimaru thought bitterly, time to retreat. Neither Kabuto or Manda were doing well and in their relative conditions Tsunade would soon finish him. Molding his chakra, Orochimaru retched. Still caught in her frenzy, Tsunade paid no attention to the sound until an even paler copy of the Snake Sannin flew from the original's mouth which promptly deflated like punctured balloon.

"What?" Tsunade muttered softly, tossing aside the skin. Shaking her head to try and clear it of the still conflicting thoughts Tsunade caught sight of the retreating Orochimaru out of the corner of her eyes. Feeling the rage surge back up the Slug Princess shrieked and charged. Not even slowing, Orochimaru grabbed his second in command and dove into the ground using his favorite earth-passing technique. Using her full, terrifying strength Tsunade smashed Orochimaru's exit point but the serpent ninja had wisely moved as far and as fast as he could. "Damn you, traitor; DAMN YOU!"

* * *

Nimbly leaping from mound to piled debris Jiraiya raced to his long-time companion's aid. "Don't worry Gamabunta, I've got you covered." In between the Sage's hands, intensely glowing chakra steadily grew in strength. Timing it carefully, Jiraiya leapt onto the thrashing mess of boss summons and latched on with chakra. Bracing himself, Jiraiya crammed the pulsing ball of chakra into one of Manda's huge open wounds.

"KATON: KUDAKSEI NO JUTSU(Fire Release: Shatterforce Technique)!"

With a loud sizzle the fire chakra burnt its way into Manda flesh, disappearing from sight almost immediately. Sending a little more chakra to his legs Jiraiya leapt clear and ran for cover as Manda paused.

"What?" Manda rumbled. "That feels like…"

With a muffled '_THOOMPF!_' the Katon technique went off in a geyser of steaming blood and seared flesh. The resulting sound coming from the Serpent King's mouth couldn't even described as a scream. It was just agonized sound that assaulted the senses and disturbed the nerves. Spasming uncontrollably, Manda released his grip on Gamabunta and quickly dismissed himself in hopes of getting healing before he bled to death. Gulping air greedily, Gamabunta gingerly probed his ribs, wincing at every broken bone. "Damn" the Toad Boss grumbled unhappily, "Manda's learned a few new tricks since our last fight." Narrowing his eyes, Gamabunta turned an angry look at Jiraiya. "What took you long to help me out?"

Jiraiya shrugged, laughing nervously as watched the old toad for further signs of his short temper. "Orochimaru got in the way 'bunta. Had to wait until Tsunade decided to jump in."

"Where's the snake-fucker? I only see Tits." Jiraiya flinched.

"Come on 'bunta, stop calling her that! Do you want another size 7 high-heel to your ass?" This time, Gamabunta flinched.

"Sorry, sorry. Still dizzy from the lack of air. Damn mountain hurt. But Jiraiya, is Orochimaru around or not? I'm goin' to need some help on these ribs." Using his Sage training, Jiraiya examined the area for his ex-teammate. Coming up with nothing, he shook his head. Croaking with relief, Gamabunta dismissed himself with a pop and a quick "See ya later."

Mentally offering up a hope that he was still coasting on a kami-given favor, Jiraiya went looking for Tsunade.

* * *

_Crunch_

"Are you ready to apologize to me now? I can keep doing this you know?"

Caught in her merciless grip, the Oto Jounin merely gurgled through a broken jaw. Off to one side Naruto winced at the brutality being displayed by Yasu. Neither Inki or Suki seemed mean at all but their mom…damn. "Um, Yasu-san…I don't think he can talk right now."

"Yasu-_chan_!" The Kitsune snapped back. Then she poked the Jounin's chin, noting the fact that it gave under the soft pressure. "Oh, so it is! Guess you'll have to pay some other way!" Ridging her index and middle finger, Yasu rammed her digits in the man's eye and all the way into his brain. Shuddering once, the Oto ninja died. "Ewwwwww!" Yasu moaned after seeing the goop on her fingers, which she hastily wiped off on the dead man's clothes. Trying to ignore the roiling feeling in his stomach, Naruto looked away, though the surroundings weren't doing him much better. The scattered remains of 7 other men and their gear lay strewn across this part of the battlefield, the exposed viscera painting the landscape ugly colors. Despite his unsettled belly, a small part of Naruto was impressed; Yasu was definitely more dangerous then her brother.

"_More powerful AND more vicious then Ukon. You'd be hard pressed to survive her; I suggest being at least a little polite. Also, offer her a cut of what you loot._" Naruto blinked.

"_Loot?_"

"_Of course my wielder. You won, therefore all their belongings are yours. They'd take your valuables if you had lost._"

"_Still…I mean…_"

"Oh, shiny!" Yasu exclaimed before plucking a gold chain off her last victims neck. Naruto gaped.

"_At least collect the weapons and tools! You never know when you'll need extras._" That made some sense Naruto supposed. Besides, he WAS out of Exploding Tags. Gingerly, Naruto started picking through weapon pouches letting Yasu take the far messier task. Not that the Kitsune matriarch minded. First shot at the jewelry and cash? Yes please! Rushing through the gruesome task, Naruto quickly put away the kunai, shuriken, and Tags he'd found and stepped away from the bodies. Yasu finished soon after him thanks to practice rather then squeamishness and stepped up to blond with a radiant smile.

"A fight, treasure…all I need now to make this a perfect day is a good fuck!" Yasu sent a speculative look at Naruto who paled and shook his head. Yasu shrugged. "Maybe in a few years then cutie. You're a little too young anyways."

"There you are!"

"GURK!" Before Naruto even realized the comment was directed at him the blond found himself wrapped in an impossibly powerful hug. Struggling weakly, Naruto tried to ID his 'attacker' but his view was blocked by something that he really hoped wasn't what he thought it was. '_What the HELL is going on!_'

"I was so worried! And now you're hurt! These stupid assholes are so lucky they're already dead." The female voice wasn't very familiar, and neither was the tone being used or the pleasant tingling sensation.

"_It's the Tsunade woman, and she is healing you. Though, I'm more interested in why she's holding you like you were her flesh and blood._"

"Tsunade, thank kami! You're not rampaging anymore. Um, why are you hugging my little genin shadow?"

Spotting a confused looking Jiraiya approaching them Naruto frantically begged for help with his eyes, unable to escape Tsunade's grip or speak above a choked whisper. Having been in similar, if much less pleasant situations with Tsunade before, Jiraiya took pity on the poor brat. "Hey Tsunade, have you seen your apprentice lately?"

"Oh shit!" Tsunade blurted, dropping Naruto. "I'll be right back baby."

Scrambling to his feet as the healer ran off to find and take care of her student, Naruto grabbed a double handful of Jiraiya's clothes and actually managed to shake the much larger man. "What the hell was that! Is she fucking nuts or something!"

Jiraiya snickered. "What, didn't you enjoy the hug? I know I'd kill for a shot it." Growling, Naruto yanked Jiraiya down to eye level and _stared_. "Rrright." Jiraiya drawled, surprised to find himself a little frightened by the look in the blond's eyes. "Well, no, she's generally not crazy. I'll be sure to look into fast. Kami only knows what she'll do to me in this state." Shivering, Jiraiya broke free of Naruto's grip and stepped back.

"I know what I'd do to you." Yasu purred, stepping into the conversation. Tracing her fingertips over Jiraiya Yasu walked around the Sage, eyeing his physique hungrily. "Mmm, you're a big sturdy one aren't you?" Jiraiya's face split into a broad grin under Yasu attention.

"He he, the animal magnetism of the Gallant Jiraiya has struck again it seems! Fear not fair maiden, you need not worry around I!" Jiraiya was about to break out his 'legendary' intro when Yasu giggled and leaned forward, whispering into his ear. Naruto couldn't hear a word being said but he had a good idea about the general gist of the conversation given Jiraiya's lecherous grin and nosebleed. "Well now, hehe, that's a hell of a proposal missy, but I've got to take care of my teammate before-" Yasu whispered something else into Jiraiya's ear and made a hand gesture that Naruto didn't understand but made Black Mirage start laughing. "…damn." Jiraiya shook his head. "No no, I've got to-"

whisper whisper _provocative_ hand gesture

Coughing uncomfortably Naruto looked away from the two as Jiraiya's expression glazed over. A moment later Naruto nearly leapt out of his own skin when Jiraiya let out a loud and VERY enthusiastic 'OH YEAH!'. Turning back Naruto saw Jiraiya tossing a smirking and giggling Yasu over his shoulder. Panting lustily, Jiraiya patted Naruto on the back. "Well, I wouldn't come back to the hotel room tonight, me and this hot babe are going to wreck that place! Try crashing with Tsunade and Shizune tonight!" Whooping, Jiraiya ran off.

Naruto tried not to see the grin and wink that Yasu sent him.

"Psst, Too Cute to Gold Post, Too Cute to Gold Post, is the coast clear?" Blinking, Naruto looked around for Suki, easily recognizing her voice.

"Suki, where are you?"

"Suki-_chan_!" The small vixen corrected him as she darted out behind a dirt mound and scampered up Naruto's side, seating herself on his right shoulder. "It's all clear Inki!" A moment later Inki followed his sister's path, swerving to end up Naruto's left shoulder. "So Nauto-kun, did everything turn out ok? Nothing strangely peculiar happen? Victory without oddity?"

Naruto turned and glared at her. "Ok, I knew she was acting crazy! What did you do to Tsunade?"

Suki turned her most adorably innocent expression on the blond. "But Na-Ru-To-kun, I didn't do nothing…intentionally." The vixen tried muttering the last word under her breath but she was far too close for a trained ninja NOT to hear it, even a low ranked one like Naruto.

"What…did…you…do!"

"…" Suki babbled so quickly that Naruto couldn't understand a word she said.

"Huh?"

"What my sister MEANT to say," Inki interjected irritably in a rare display of emotion "is that she had a 'wonderful' idea that backfired horribly. Oh so very badly."

"It wasn't THAT bad!" Suki insisted, rubbing her muzzle against Naruto's cheek. "I promise."

"Says you." Inki snapped at her. Naruto looked at the Kitsune in surprise, he hadn't know the fox long but this intense reaction seemed out of character for him. "I was apart of that working, I know as well as you what we did to her. We could not have done more damage if we had stuck a bomb in her head."

"We fixed her fear of blood." Suki offered weakly.

"By scrambling her memories. A distressingly large amount of them."

"You did what?" Naruto blurted, feeling a sensation of doom crawl across his skin.

"Suki decided that we should try to aid this Tsunade woman after speaking to her assistant. Unfortunately, her issues proved to be too much for our current level skill…not that this fact stopped Suki from making the attempt and dragging me with her. In doing so, we have, turned her worldview on its ear so to speak."

"That's not good for me is it?"

"No clue." Inki admitted, calming down. "I would suggest caution until you've determined the extent of the change. Or damage. Which ever you would prefer to call it."

"Hi Big-booby lady! Is Crazy Lady ok?" Naruto and Inki both straightened up and clamped their mouths shut. Tsunade wasn't likely to have heard their conversation but neither male wanted to risk it. Not after the ass-kicking she'd just dealt out a few minutes ago. Smiling fondly, Tsunade walked up to Naruto and tussled his hair, cradling her now unconscious but much healthier looking apprentice in her other arm like a small child.

"Hey sweetie, you and summons make through ok?" Naruto thought the loving smile to be _very_ creepy considering the fact that they'd met so recently but gamely attempted to play along, keeping Inki's warning in mind.

'_Fuck you Jiraiya, if she ends up turning my skin into a coat, I'm totally blaming you._'

"Um, yeah, I'm fine. I'll be healed by the time I go to sleep tonight, um, Tsunade."

The medic rolled her eyes. "Is it so hard to call me mom?"

Black Mirage almost didn't blame the poor boy for whimpering briefly before fainting dead away.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Before anything else, I ask; Please, please, please don't kill me.

As I fill out this author's note I took a look at NBB's stats and realized that it'd been 6 months since I last posted a chapter for this story. Honestly, I have no excuse but a lack of talent which makes me sad. That said, I have finally got this done. Also, it's a cliffhanger but it happens. That moment just seemed so right to end it on, even if that means the chapter is a little short.

Now for story details, at some point I fixed the error in which Naruto knows Shizune's name before they're introduced. That's done. Also, a reader named Akuma-Heika pointed out that I mistranslated Foxfire Devil. Oni is actually ogre and Akuma is devil, so I'll be switch that out. Now, there were some questions about Naruto reaction to the insult bastard. Is it really a surprise? He's just 'found out' that he's an illegitimate child. Now consider the fact that he is orphan, almost constantly alone and unwanted, and has probably spent countless hours imagining what his family was like. Given Naruto's open and emotive nature, you can bet that he's not going to react well to that term for quite some time.

And, just a reminder, TSUNADE IS NOT ACTUALLY NARUTO'S MOTHER! Tsunade just thinks she's his mom because of Inki and Suki's little accident. Keep this in mind because it WILL make life…interesting for Naruto in the future.

Finally, hehehe, Jiraiya is NOT aware that Yasu is a Kitsune summon. Oh, that's gonna be a fun reveal, bwa-hhahahahaahah!


End file.
